persona 4: the unseen truth
by Starlight's Poet
Summary: He simply laid in her arms, enjoying the warmth she brought to him as they watched the waves roll forward across the sandy beach. Her dark hair fell upon his face, and her breath tickled at his skin. Even though her features remained unseen, he could see the sweet, gentle smile on her face. If he could describe her... she would be a goddess. (Yu X Izanami)
1. Chapter 1

**-persona 4: the unseen truth-**

"Three Things Cannot Be Long Hidden: The Sun, The Moon, And The Truth" -Buddha

* * *

 _Episode 0: Falsehood made from Truth_

* * *

The fog was an endless domain, one that humans cherished with every fiber of their being.

Ever since the beginning, humans have preferred their own illusions rather than facing the truth of a cruel reality.

That was, in a manner of speaking, the truth of humanity. They would rather turn their eyes away and delude themselves, believing only in what they saw, heard, and believed. It was in their nature to lie to themselves... in all manner of things.

It was because of such deceptions that she had been separated into two beings: one without memories, and the other, so cold and malevolent. They were once a singular entity, a god that guarded these lands and to answer the wishes to the people. However, their form was forever constricted to the Shinto's world of chains and death, unable to find a way to leave it. However, as time passed, she did not need to leave it, only stay there to observe the world's motions. Within time, her constraints would slowly erode, and fall to a mere echoing clatter.

However, because of people's corrupted desires, the entity that remained in Yomotsu-Hirasaka had become splintered.

And that entity was Izanami.

The Shinto Deity, the Goddess that died giving birth to Hi-No Kagutsuchi, the Goddess who was left behind by her lover Izanagi, had remained in this Underworld for countless centuries.

Since having split away from the self that had all but abandoned it's memories, and having been made into a suitable pawn, she had come to believe that the truth was worthless, that all humans needed to do was embrace the falsehoods and accept their innermost desires, and the lies that came with it. Yes, even now, she believed in this ideal.

Who was she to deny the desires of humanity? She had been bombarded with them constantly through the passages of time. She would be granting them their salvation. To live their lives in blissful ignorance, to wander the hallowed forest forever.

That was, after all, their wish?

And yet... what was this feeling of apprehension she felt?

In all these years of believing in herself to be correct...now she feels hesitance? What was happening to her? Surely she should be following through with no reluctance. So why?

No... it wasn't that she felt hesitance about granting their wish... this apprehension stemmed from something else. She felt it's presence here, lingering in the fog of deceit, squirming and writhing as if it were a newborn babe. Even from here, in Yomotsu Hirasaka, she could feel it... the putrid, wretched darkness oozing form it's form.

"...who dares enter this place?" Izanami had all but demanded, her red eyes narrowing at the blanket of fog that enshrined this place. When she received no response, she scowled. "You dare trespass into my domain?"

At first, it was a mere tense silence... but like glass, it was shattered by the sound of clapping. Slowly, a form began to take shape within the fog, the writhing blackness solidifying into a solid shape.

The Goddess immediately recognized this form. Despite seeing it only once...she never forgot something so...Vile...

It was a being colored a metallic black. It held no face, it's limbs were lanky tendrils with razor-sharp tips at the end. From its back sprouted grand demonic wings. Atop its featureless head was a golden Crown.

"...who are you?" Izanami had all but demanded of the being, her power flowing outward as a display of strength. From behind, a spectral image, a manifestation of her powers as a goddess, emerged as hundreds of pairs of skeletal arms. "And why have you dared to cross my threshold?"

The being, if it possessed a face, would have surely grinned. **"Hahahahahahahaha..."** the creature laughed, a multitude of voices speaking together as a singular entity. **"How amusing... I must admit, you're an interesting existence, Izanami-no-Mikoto... Or rather, Izanami-no-Okami."**

Her scowl deepened, her contempt for this creature growing by the second. "Answer me, wretched abomination!"

 **"I hold no name... for I am nothing.** " the creature responded as it's form changed, a black mass twisting and churning until it took on a new form. This appeared to resemble some girl, bearing chin-length black hair and dark eyes. Izanami's eyes narrowed, recognizing the form as her other self, the self that had lost it's memories, and therefore, it's existence as the Shinto Deity as well. **"But... the humans refer to me as Nylarathotep. Their Faceless God... The Crawling Chaos."**

The form the creature currently held had a warped grin on her face.

Izanami retained a neutral expression, but inwardly flinched by the amount of malice the being was emitting. It was...revolting...

"...You have yet to answer my question." The Goddess glared. "Why have you come to my domain?!"

 **"I have merely come to see the one who has apparently set forth a series of trials for Philemon's latest champion..."** the being said as it's form shifted again. This time, it took on the guise of a man with long black hair tied back into a ponytail, dressed in a fine suit with a mask hiding the right half of his face, while the left side, which hid his eye, formed into a butterfly wing **. "And I must say... I am most disappointed in you, goddess."**

A snarl broke out across her face, anger filling her inexplicably so. "What did you say, you filthy maggot?!"

 **"You claim to grant humanity's truest desires... yet you have fallen to your own illusions."**

"...!" The Goddess's eyes widened from the sudden remark. She...fell to her own illusions...? Preposterous! As if such a thing were possible!

 **"But it is the truth...** " The Vile Being smirked, as if reading her mind. **"You claim that eternal delusion and ignorance is what Humanity desires...but that is only your interpretation of it all."**

"H-how dare you?!"

 **"But... it is the truth."**

Suddenly, Nylarathotep's form shifted again. This time, the choice in form was a young man in his teens, wearing what appeared to be some type of school uniform. The jacket was open to reveal a white buttoned shirt with a pair of slacks. The school emblem resembled a single "Y" within three tight circles, located just below the collar of the blazer. The face was young and handsome, a taunting grin plastered across their face, bearing gray hair and silver eyes.

Izanami's eyes widened, and her body shook with unbridled rage.

"Y-you dare..." she breathed. "Y-you dare... to take on that form in my presence?!"

 _ **"Oh come now, Izanami..."**_ Unlike before, Nylarthotep's voice changed in accordance to this new body. It was all eerily similar to the one person of the Goddess's past. **_"...Is that any way to refer to your beloved?"_**

"Silence!" She barked angrily, her power flaring about her.

The power solidified and became hundreds of skeletal arms that emerged from behind her, aiming to reduce this vile being to mere paste. The Crawling Chaos merely gave a sickening grin as black tendrils formed from various parts of it's body, lunging out to interpect them all. Black spears clashed against rotting red hands, halting their advances in mid-air.

"You dare to that form in my presence?!" Izanami howled with absolute fury. "Remove yourself from this place, at once!"

 ** _"And I will..."_** the being chuckled in amusement as it casually strode passed the hands, it's tendrils still keeping the arms in place. _**"...once I make you understand something. What you claim to do, granting humans the bliss they wish for... it's an illusion. A mere fantasy that you have pulled over yourself. What you believe to be a 'truth' is no more than a shoddy falsehood, the lowliest of all lies."**_

Anger continued to boil in her breast, her want to wipe this damned thing's smirk off it's face growing with each passing second.

 _ **"Do you know what humans truly wish for, goddess?"**_ Nylarathotep asked, still wearing the young man's face, and still wearing that annoyingly arrogant smirk. **_"...it's death."_**

"Death?!" The Goddess questioned in surprise.

 _ **"Yes...Death...**_ " The deity's grin turned sinister. **_"They all seek the ultimate end of their journeys. From birth, mankind takes part in the journey of life. However, what they desire most is the final destination of where that oath will take them. In other words...their own demise..."_**

 ** _"Humans do not wish to fall into the sublime lie, Izanami-no-Okami..."_ ** Nylarathotep spread his arms out, an expression of demented glee plastered over the young man's face. **_"They wish to meet their ultimate end!"_**

"Nonsense!" The Goddess shook her head in denial. However, it was more so in refusing to look at the Crawling Chaos's face. That face brought forth too many memories.

 _ **"...Still denying it I see..."**_ Nylarthotep frowned in disappointment.

Finally, it's form twisted again... this time into her own form: pale skin, long gray hair, and ruby red eyes. **_"If you fail to understand the truth of the human heart's innermost darkness..."_** the Vile being said in her own voice. Warning bells began to ring inside her head as the being developed a cold, dark grin. **_"...then perhaps you should be removed from the equation, in order to fully understand what it is humans truly desire."_**

Suddenly, the vile presence that wreaked off it's very being had become so cold and malevolent, it nearly sent her dizzy. _'What...'_ she gasped, finding it hard to breath. _'What... is this...?!'_

She felt...numb...as if a hand of darkness had her in its clutches, slowly tightening its grip around her. Not only that but she felt her own self becoming...weaker...As if her powers was being drained. Her eyelids were slowly growing heavier.

"W-what... are you...?!"

 **"You need to understand, Izanami-no-Okami...** " Nylarathotep said as it reverted back to it's original form, an obscure beast bearing it's demented crown. **"That even a lie shall not last forever..."**

"N-no... NO!"

She resisted the vile feeling that overcame her. She poured her power, but in contrast to the times she allowed it to appear, it was far weaker than before. It manifested as a multitude of arms, though lacking in number. They lashed out, aiming to skewer the being. Nylarathotop didn't look even phased as it flapped it's wings, taking to the sky. The hands followed after it, piercing through the fog.

However, she was unable to detect her target through the fog. Her vision was slowly growing hazy. She felt her strength continue to dwindle.

The vile being easily evaded each hand, though even after it missed it's target, the limbs continued to chase after it. It still continued to dodge, barrel-rolling around them like a master flier before diving upward. The limbs joined together as an upward stream, aiming to grab it and pull it down the very depths of Yomi...

 **"...how foolish of you, goddess."**

Then, Izanami felt something splash through her chest.

The Goddess looked downward and gasped.

Sticking out of her chest...were her own skeletal hands.

She had gotten herself with her own attack...

"...w...h...a...t...?"

 **"As I told you before..."** Nylarathotep's voiced echoed in it's twisted warped tone huskily, as if behind her. **"...you yourself a trapped in a lie."**

Izanami tried to resist, but the overwhelming darkness had become so intense that she could no longer fight back. Her own strength was being taken from her. But... how? How could this be? She was the goddess of Yomi, that which controlled the dead souls of the lost... so how could this have happened? Why was she being stripped of what made her that which would grant humans their desires?!

How could this be happening?!

 **"To believe that you grant humans wishes, you must try to understand the ficklness in their hearts."** the vile being scolded her, clucking it's tongue. **"I should know this, after all... I am all that makes up humanity's darkest emotions. Their hatred, their greed, their envy, their jealousy, their lust, their grievances, their sadness, their rage, their overwhelming despair."** The being now stood before her, once again clad in the form of the young man from before. _**"I am humanity's innermost desires. In other words... I am their wanting desires for death."**_

Izanami could barely stay conscious now. Slowly, her eyes began to close. She could see the gray eyes turn sickenly yellow, and a cruel smirk plastered all across the vile being's face.

 ** _"Do not fret, however... I will make excellent use of what you once possessed. After all, I must uphold my end of the bargain. Humanity must still be tested."_**

A dark laugh bellowed in her ears, ringing as she begun to succumb to the darkness.

However, before her consciousness faded completely...only one word appeared in her mind and slipped past her lips.

 _"...Izanagi..."_

Finally, she succumbed to unconsciousness. The moment her eyes flown closed, and fell back, vanishing into the fog. Nylarathotep chuckled as he held up his hand, cradling an orb in it's grasp. It was barely the size of a softball, twisting and churning like a cloud of dak energy.

 ** _"Well then..."_**

* * *

Sho Minazuki was bored. No scratch that, he was DYING from boredom.

He had been in a coma for nearly six years and woke up in a hospital.

The only problem being...There was absolutely NOTHING to do in this hospital!

The whole damned place was boring. The people were boring, the other patients were boring, gah! It was just so frustrating!

"There's hardly anything to do here in this freakin' place!" he complained as he threw on his shirt. "How the hell did I even end up here?"

 _'...do I need to seriously answer that, Sho?'_ a voice within his mind asked, almost deadpanned. ' _A hospital is a place for healing, and you've been out for six years. The fact that your even up and walking right now is astounding.'_

"What?" the red-haired boy growled. "You gonna nag on me too, Minazuki?!"

 _'If I was nagging, I would be doing it already. Besides, that's these people's jobs to nag on you. Mine is keeping you alive. Also, what makes you think it's a good idea to be leaving?_ ' the voice, now named Minazuki, asked curiously. Sho was out of his bed, dressed in a dark green shirt and slacks with a yellow armband. His fleece jacket was wrapped around his waist. _'You still need a month's worth of rest.'_

"If I stay here any longer, they'll NURSE me to death!" he cackled at his own little joke. "Besides, this place is sooooo boooring! This place has got to have something that's more exciting, right?!"

Minazuki sighed. _'Aren't you a handful?'_

"I'm just fricking tired of this place! Every day I just lie down in bed, eat mediocre food, doing occasional health tests, physical therapy, and nothing more! I wanna head out and see the world!"

' _Well, can't argue with that,'_ the voice conceded to the point. _'Just try not to pick a fight with anyone, alright? Last thing you need is trouble.'_

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." Sho waved him off before he slung his dufflebag over his shoulder. "Alright, let's see what this place is like."

* * *

It was small.

That was Sho's first impression of Inaba as he walked around the place in it's entirety. The Shopping District was a single strip of street with few shops, mainly a metal works smithshop, a small nick-knack store, and a variety of others. There was the Samegawa River, which was actually a pretty cool view. It wasn't far off, maybe a few minutes away, and it was nice and quiet when he wanted to get away from all this crap. There was also this large shopping supermarket, Junes he thinks it was called, but he really didn't care much for that.

Oh, and there was some place called Yasogami High, whatever the hell that was.

"Holy shit, this place is a dump." Sho remarked crudely as he sat atop a building, legs hanging over the edge. "Seriously, there's barely anyone here!"

 _'Well, given that this town is in the middle of the country side, that much is to be expected.'_ Minazuki elaborated. He agreed with his host's sentiment. There was barely anyone in the streets. Some of the shops appeared to have closed down. All in all...it was just too quiet.

"Well, least we found someplace to stay." the teen commented. "Still... what's with the shit-ton of cash?"

After Sho woke up in the hospital, he learned that he had a massive amount of money stored in a bank account under his name. When he asked how he managed to obtain that much wealth, all they told him was that a man named Shuji Ikutsuki had left him a substantial amount of financial aid after dropping him off at the hospital so long ago.

Shuji Ikutsuki... that name left behind a bitter taste of memories.

His mind drifted back to when he was a child...to when he was a test subject to the Kirijo group.

His face curled into a disgruntled snarl, fists clenching upon recalling them. The scar on his face began to irritate him as he remembered those times in that lab, beating the shit out of those kids under Ikutsuki's orders.

"Motherfucker..."

He recalled it all. The 'treatments', the experiments, being forced to fight others, sometimes killing them, in order to grant data...all for what?

The ability to use a _Persona_?!

 _'Sho... calm down.'_

The teen held clenched teeth, his body trembling. "...Sorry, just... Son of a bitch, what the hell?! The bastard uses me, then tosses me away, and then all of a sudden, he pays for everything?! How the hell does that work?!"

 _'I can't really say for certain, other than that he must have some sort of agenda in mind...'_ Minazuki thought, mostly to himself. ' _Especially since he enrolled in this Yasogami High.'_

"Yeah... Wait, what?!"

 _'Oh? You didn't read that part? You're written as a first year in a few documents.'_

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Sho shouted. "No way! Nu-uh! Not happening!"

 _'I'm sorry, but it is the truth. You must accept it.'_

"LIKE HELL I WILL!" Sho snarled angrily. "There is no way in Hell that I'm going to school in this backwater town!"

 _'Sho, this could be your chance to actually earn a decent education,'_ Minazuki tried to argue with him. _'In my opinion, this is something that man actually did right for once.'_

"No way! Not happening!"

His other self sighed in frustration. _'I see...then I guess I'll just have to convince you to go.'_

"Wait, Minazuki...the hell do you think your-?!" Sho was cut off as his eyes changed. Rather than displaying brash behavior and arrogance, they became more calm and calculated.

"There, much better." the red-haired teen said. His voice tone had changed, gone from violent and rash to a calm and cool tone. He groaned a bit as he stretched his arms. "Damn... how in the world can you move around this much? I knew it was a bad idea to let you leave the hospital so early."

 _'Minazuki, you bastard!'_ Sho's voice cried out in humiliation. _'Switch me this instant dammit!'_

"Hm, how about... no?"

 _'YOU ASSHAT!'_

"This is for your own good Sho." Minazuki stated coolly. "You are getting a good education, whether you like it or not."

 _'Y-you bastard!'_

"Call me one all you want. Doesn't change anything, and I am not giving you back control until you agree... as well as commit."

 _'W-why you little...'_ Sho growled. _'You can be a real asshole when you want to be!'_

Minazuki gave him a smirk. "So says the one who acts like a child most of the time."

 _'Shut up! I'm not a child! I'm gonna be 17 for crying out loud!'_

"And yet you still have the mentality of a 10 year old..."

 _'Aw, stuff it!'_

Minazuki gave an amused grin as he hopped off the building, and slid his hands into his pockets. "To be rather frank with you, Sho, I'm actually interested to see what they teach here." he admitted. "Considering I've only been around for six years myself."

' _Huh?_ ' Sho frowned before he remembered that Minazuki had been with him ever since that experiment regarding that damned feather. _'Oh, yeah... I almost forgot... Hey, wait! That means your younger than me!'_

"And apparently more mature."

 _'SCREW YOU!'_

In response, Minazuki gave a hearty laugh.

He...he was glad that both of them had woken up. Now, they were able to experience things they were unable to before.

 _'Hrgh... alright, fine!'_ Sho conceded. _'Let's just go already! But... if this place is going to be as boring as I think it is, I'm outta here!'_

"Now now, Sho. Have patience... Huh?"

Suddenly, Minazuki's senses flared, eyes widening in surprise as he looked around. _'Minazuki?_ ' Sho questioned. _'Oi, oi! Minazuki! What's wrong?!'_

"I'm...not sure. But I'm feeling a disturbing presence nearby..."

' _A presence?_ ' Sho questioned. _"Who's?"_

"I... I don't know, but... it's certainly not human."

 _'Huh? What do you mean? Is it a Shadow?'_

"No. Nothing like that. It just feels...different..."

 _'How so?'_

"I... am unsure. However, something about this... it's unnatural." his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Where is it...?"

Minazuki scanned the area around him, hoping to distinguish the source. His gaze was soon locked to the spot near the train station.

"...what the hell?"

 _'I-is that... a naked chick?!'_

Sure enough, both personalities gawked at what they saw. It was a young woman, presumable around their age, with short, wavy, silver hair. Her skin was very light and flawless, almost like porcelain.

The most disturbing part, however... was that she was naked.

Fortunately there was no one else in the vicinity. But the girl was genuinely as naked as the day she was born. She was also unconscious.

"Wh...why the hell is she just lying there?!"

 _'W-Why are you asking ME?!'_ Sho asked. If he was actually in control, his face would have been as red as his hair.

Minazuki shook his head as he undid his jacket around his waist, and draped it over. "W-well, we can't exactly leave her here..." he said, a heavy blush on his face. Gently, he snaked his hands around her, and pulled her up.

 _'Hold up, we're seriously taking her with us?!'_

"Relax, Sho... It's not what you think."

 _'Then what are you planning? Are you seriously going to take that girl in?!'_

"There is no other option. If she is left alone, who knows what will happen to her. I can't just abandon her."

 _'But what if she...?'_

"If she does..." For a moment, Minazuki's eyes flashed a dangerous, dark crimson. "I will kill her. Any threats to your safety must be removed, after all."

 _'...Alright. I have no qualms then...let's just get out of here...'_

"Indeed. I'd rather not get labeled as a rapist, or anything of the like." Minazuki said dryly as he made his way back to Sho's apartment, carrying the unconscious girl.

* * *

It was that dream again... the same one he's been having for the last few weeks.

It always starts out like this. He's sitting alone on a beach of some sort, watching as the waves flow back and forth at his feet. The sky is tinted black, and stags poke out of the ground, towering all over the place like some sort of demented collected of spires. The moon was also twisted, mangled and curled, left hanging in the blackened sky.

His attire was also different, the same no matter how many times this dream occurred. Always in that loose shirt and the black pants, yet left without any shoes.

He didn't know why this dream kept happening. He viewed it to be rather strange. For the past few weeks, nothing ever happened in this scenario. He would wander the still setting, trying to find anything that would explain what all of this was.

It wasn't that he had problems with these dreams. No, not at all. He simply sat there, knees curled up to his chest as he watched the waves. He found it to be quite soothing.

He found that speaking with her was also soothing.

Yes. Her.

During these dreams, a young woman would often speak with him. He didn't know who she was, and he could barely make out her features, but her voice was so melodious and smooth that he couldn't help but be captivated by it.

1Sometimes, he would feel so drowsy, and his eyes grew heavy. Whenever that happened, he would always feel slouched and began to fall, only to be caught in her embrace. Her arms gently slid around him, one curled over his chest, fingers intertwining around his own digits, while the other gently framed his face. Her breath was hot, tickling his face while her strands of hair, a darker color than his own scalp, fell upon his face.

He tried to get a good look at her face, but most of it was shadowed by her hair. The only thing he could make would was the serene smile she had. He saw her lips move, but he could hear no sound.

"Who... are you..." he tried to say, but his voice failed him. He could barely say anything. When the dreams first began to happen, he tried to talk with her, but every time, his voice had ceased. Now, he simply enjoyed this feeling of being so close to her.

The woman simply smiled as she held him closer, savoring his warmth. He did the same. He didn't know why but...he just wanted to be with her. Holding each other in their arms.

Sadly, like all dreams, everything to had reach an end as he closed his eyes, unable to keep them open any longer. He had succumbed to the darkness.

When he awoke, he found himself staring up at the old, familiar ceiling. He sighed tiredly as he cradled his face in his hand before it touched his forehead. "That dream again..." Yu Narukami wondered aloud. "I wonder... who are you?"

* * *

Yosuke Hanamura hadn't really liked Inaba at first when he arrived here a year ago, if he was being honest. It also didn't help matters that almost everyone didn't like him simply because his dad was the CEO of the Inaba Branch of the Junes Supermarket.

Ever since Junes appeared in this town, the shopping center had been gradually losing business. Stores have been closing down, and even more are on the verge of going out of business. Everyone there could only blame the Super Store for their downfall. ANd to an extent, they all looked at Yosuke in contempt as well, just for being part of the business.

All in all, he was having a difficult time.

Of course, he tried his best to ignore it. He simply continued on with what he did, attending schools and not even bothering to pay attention to the people who glared at him, simply because their business were failing. At the very least, he had two people who didn't seem to hate or curse him, and were actually very good friends.

Although, his mother said he had a strange collection of friends, and for good reason. One was the heiress of a local inn, probably the only thing that was keeping this place actually running, and the other was, to put it bluntly, a kung-fu obsessed meat freak.

It was the truth. She would always rant about how Meat was the best food or how much she loved kung fu. It wasn't that he hated her talking about it, it just got somewhat tedious after a while.

Still though...he was grateful to have friends at least. It made his stay in this town more tolerable.

And of course, things were actually looking up. Recently, his dad has asked him to coach some of the new part-time workers. They were from Inaba, like anybody could guess, though they were simply working here trying to earn some ends meat, and find a way to support their family. The pay wasn't bad at all, especially since it was a daily wage.

One of the part-timers was a girl named Saki Konishi. She was his senior. Okay, well, technically, she was his junior, but when school would begin next month, she would be his senior, and he a junior. They didn't really talk to each other at first, simply making idle conversations that lasted for maybe a few seconds before things became quiet. Over time, though, he started to get her to open up.

He found her company to be...enjoyable. He found another reason to enjoy being in this town.

"Maybe I should ask her one of these days?" he wondered aloud as he doing a quick routine check around the grocery isle. "Nah, maybe not... I mean, her parents would get pretty pissed if I did that. Plus, she's already having a hard time dealing with everybody else as is."

He wasn't an idiot, despite what some people believed. He had seen how some of the people in town gave Saki a disappointed, condescending glare. He was also fully aware that her family's liquor store was on the verge of being shut down. Didn't they understand it? That she was working to keep them afloat because of the lack of business in the first place?

But he guessed that people just couldn't look at some things past their pride. Her family prided on their store. When Saki started working at Junes, they didn't see her as helping them, they saw her as betraying them.

Honestly, it made him scowl in disgust. They were her parents. Why didn't they try to understand her?!

His two friends saw where he was coming from, though they simply told him was just how things were. The heiress said it was better just to try and get over it. He didn't want to, but he didn't have much choice but to stay quiet. He honestly wanted to help Saki, but he also had to be considerate of her feelings. He doubted she even wanted his help.

That wouldn't stop him from trying though. He tried to easen her burden, giving her some extra hours off every now and then, as well as an added bonus to her paycheck. His father raised some eyebrows out of concern and told him it wouldn't do him good to play favorites, but he didn't listen. He had to help her out somehow.

For the umpteenth time today, Yosuke sighed. "I wish something would happen to make all of this crap go away..."

* * *

Chie Satonaka was a tomboy, plain and simple. Sure, she had a girly face and a nice figure, and while she lacked in what her friend excelled at in terms of beauty, she made up for it in her own little way that created some form of attraction from her. That didn't stop people from calling her a tomboy, much less a meat freak.

She honestly couldn't see the problem. What was wrong with eating meat? It was an excellent source of protein!

Protein in one's diet is good. Especially if one were to stay in shape. She does so by practicing martial arts.

Ever since she was a child, she loved kung fu movies. She always wanted to be able to fight like the the people she sees on the screen.

Her mother was a bit worried, especially as she got older. By the time she was in middle school, she had asked her parents if she could practice karate. They were definitely worried by that point, but in the end, after she gave them the puppy-dog eyes, there was nothing they could really do.

When she was in her first year, she was already a black belt, and won a few local tournaments here. She also managed to fight back against a few common thugs before the police came in. She didn't get into trouble, thankfully, but they did tell her to be careful about who she was dealing with, lest she regretted it.

SHe took their words to heart. But she couldn't help herself. If there was someone in danger, she'd want to help them. That's just the type of person she is. And she accepted it. Yukiko did as well.

Speaking of Yukiko Amagi, her friend had been swamped with work lately. Her inn has always been so busy, even especially during times such as this. The town was slowly beginning to start it's annual tourist attractions, which would last until the end of the month after next. This, of course, meant that Yukiko would have less time at school, especially since her parents had been open in their desire for Yukiko to inherit it.

She knew her best friend had been the one to inherit the inn when the time came for a long time. That was what she was raised to do. But honestly, she didn't think it was fair that her future was just decided for her. But there wasn't much that she could do about it.

All she could really do is support her to the best of her abilities. Yukiko was her friend, even more than that, she was her best friend. She meant everything to her, especially since they had been friends since they were kids. It was almost funny how their friendship started, meeting because of a smelly old dog.

And speaking of said dog...

"Geez, Muku..." Chie pinched her nose, grinning humorously as she waved her hand in front of her face. "Just what did you eat to give you the runs?!"

The large dog before her just panted with his tongue sticking out. He barked once in reply.

She giggled before she hopped off her bed and walked over to the window, undoing the lock before sliding it open. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, feeling the cool, crisp air flowing into her room, and her dog's gas vacating. "Much better." she said before turning back to Muku. "That's it, no more burritos for you."

Muku gave a whine, but then barked and hopped atop her bed, dawdling around before sitting down and curling up, almost like a cat.

"Geez...you're still the same as ever, aren't you?" She shook her head in amusement. It had been a long time since she adopted Muku...a decision she did not regret even once.

After all, he was the reason they were together. Smiling happily, she flopped back down to her bed, cuddling with her large pooch and nuzzling against his neck.

"I hope that, one day..." Chie muttered to herself. "I can be strong enough to protect everyone... and Yukiko."

* * *

Yukiko Amagi would not say that she was discontent with being the future manager of her family's inn... it was more like she had resigned herself to it.

After all...she couldn't let her parents down. They were kind people who sheltered her, fed her, and gave her mutual tender love and care. She wanted to repay them for their kindess. So she voluntarily worked at the inn.

It wasn't like she disliked working there. The staff was like an extended family to her, and she actually enjoyed taking care of it.

Although... she did find this work to be like a ball and chain. She could honestly say that she enjoyed school, especially because Chie was there too, but her work often got in the way of her social life. In all honesty, it irked her quite a bit.

She never really wanted to just inherit the inn. She wanted to be able to make her own choices and hang out with friends while she still had time left.

Although, she did not have the luxury to speak for herself. Her parents had told her what they wanted, and she obeyed. So, she worked her hardest to live up to their expectations, earning good grades and bearing a good social standing. Of course, a few people raised some eyebrows when they learned she was friends with Yosuke Hanamura.

Yukiko failed to see what the problem was. Just because his father ran Junes didn't mean it was his fault the shopping district was failing.

They shouldn't blame Yosuke for what Junes did to them. It just wasn't right. Instead of taking their frustration on only the super store, they had to resent everyone affiliated with it as well. It just didn't seem fair.

It was also bad because they scorned anyone who was working their, including her senpai, Saki Konishi. She was more than aware of her situation, as her family's store was on the verge of being shut down. She was doing what she could to keep them afloat. Even her brother, Naoki, understood that.

Yukiko sighed heavily as she took a sip of her tea. "I wish Inaba wasn't so distorted.."

It wasn't just her. Many others shared the same sentiments. If only there were a way to get everything back to normal...

She wanted to do something, but... what could she do? she was just one girl, who was going to be taking over her family's in like her parent's had wanted, thinking about what would be best for her. She knew that, but even still... she wanted the chance to make decisions for herself.

Yukiko stared at her own reflection shown in the cup. It showed not her face, but the face of a girl who wanted to escape from all the ugliness of this place. "I wish someone would just come and take me away from all of this..."

* * *

Kanji Tatsumi was a delinquent... or so people believed.

He was just a misunderstood teenager. The only reason why he beats up biker gangs is to protect his mom and make she sure she is alright. It was a promise he made to his dad.

In addition to that...he didn't know how to interact with people his age normally. Not since he was made fun of for liking cute things as a kid.

Ever since he was young, he always preferred playing house than sports, and because his folks ran a textile shop, he had somehow got into sewing. His mother was very impressed with his work, especially with how delicate his skills were, especially considering how he was able to make things most people wouldn't be able to, especially if he had very little to work with.

Of course, this mindset brought a lot of problems. A lot of people, especially the harsh, snotty girls, called him a freak or a weirdo, but the biggest wound to his pride was being called girly. He was a man, dammit! And so, that one insult led to him changing his look, and overall, how people looked at him. He bleached his hair, changed his look overall...

And before he realized it, they looked at him as if he were some punk. It also did not help matters that he beat the shit out of the punks who were keeping his mother up at night because of their fucking bikes. he told as much to the police, but no one believed him. No one except his mother and that one detective, Dojima.

But you knew what? Screw 'em! Who cares what people thought of him? He did whatever the hell he wanted. Why? Because he was a Tatsumi! And Kanji Tatsumi would never go back on his word!

That was the promise between men that he swore with his father! He may not be able to see him now...but he wondered if he made his pa proud?

That lone thought made his face drop. Would...would his father really be proud of what he's become?

"...he'd probably kick my ass." Kanji muttered to himself as he put down his needle and thread, sighing. "I mean, hell... Even ma's getting tired of my crap."

She knew he meant well, but that didn't stop her from worrying about her child, especially since he's getting more attention as of lately because of those damned leathered up pansies.

Just because he beat up a couple biker gangs, many more try to fight him out of petty pride. It sickened him of how stupid they can be.

In the end, with so many fights, he ended up getting hauled to the police station. He listened to the same old shit every freakin' day, and he didn't pay much attention to them. Why should he? It wasn't like any of them would believe him.

No one would believe his side. After all... he was a delinquent.

Kanji groaned as he stood up, looking at his reflection in the television screen. "I wish people would just try to get the real me..."

* * *

Rise Kujikawa used to like showbiz... ' _used to_ ' being the key word.

She loved it at first. She used to be an average school girl, but she was then taken into the Idol business. It was fun initially...but she was starting to get tired of it. She used to love it because she would be able to send messages out to kids like her. But now...? It was just showbiz.

The reason she became the famous idol, "Risette," was so she could try to make a connection with people. She wanted them to understand what she was trying to get across, and at the same time, she felt fulfillment singing and dancing. However, as time went on... she realized that people couldn't understand what she was doing. They only saw her as Risette the idol, not Rise Kujikawa.

They only saw the image she adopted for the media. They failed to see the true person behind the screen. It saddened her that the effort she had put into this was all for nothing...

She didn't want to give up, however. Even after becoming so disheartened, she still tried. But it was for nothing, they still didn't understand what she really wanted. Inoue had seen how troubled she was, and tried to console her... but it did little.

He just didn't truly understand how she felt. It was rather disheartening, knowing the person who advised you the most was unable to help.

Even though she was still continuing to be Risette, she knew this wasn't what she wanted... not anymore, anyway. Part of her wanted to keep going, to give people what they wanted, but the other part of her was tired of it all.

"Maybe..." she bit her lip as she looked at herself in the mirror, staring back at her own reflection. "I should quit...?"

Should she? Honestly...she didn't have much drive to continue things like this anymore...but she felt that it was unfair to everyone that she would quit the business entirely. Maybe she would just take a break from it all instead...?

Although, now that she thought about it... where would she go? Her parents weren't exactly too keen on her becoming an idol in the first place, but her grandmother was always so kind and gentle, telling her to do what her heart told her to do. The more she began to think about it, the more she wound up growing more and more anxious. She had to reach a decision soon.

Rise sighed, staring mournfully at her reflection. Her tried face stared back at her, almost like a lifeless husk. "I wish people tried to get to know the real Rise, rather than some fake idol..."

* * *

Naoto Shirogane was a girl. That fact alone would have raised eyebrows and shocked looks from everyone if they saw her as she was now, dressed in the outfit of a boy, and acting with such a demeanor. Then again, due to her status as a detective, she had already been established as such.

She was from a distinguished family line of detectives, the Shiroganes. Even as a child, Naoto was completely intrigued by mysteries and solving crimes. Heck, even her own grandfather, a renowned detective himself, let her help out in some of his cases. She was damn good at her job. At a young age of 15, she is well known in the criminal justice field as the Detective Prince.

With such a talented reputation, one would think she would be highly valued by law enforcement... except there was one problem.

Naoto Shirogane was a girl.

This lone fact was enough to cause mistrust amongst her associates. So in order to prevent that...she masqueraded as a boy.

The law enforcement had women on the job, make no mistake... but it was male-dominated, a sad truth, just as much as the fact that women in law enforcement were largely looked down upon, despite a few number of them being highly successful. Naoto posed as a male, even trying to lower her tone of voice, in order to avoid as much suspicion as possible. It was largely because of that she was reknowned by the title, despite it being misleading.

Right now, she was contemplating on a new case she had been given. She sat in her desk back home in the Shirogane Manor, going over the facts. It was rather simple enough, albeit confusing and misleading, especially given the fact that the one who requested it was apparently yet another suspicious agency member of some very influential group or figure, such as Public Security and the likes. It had apparently involved the deceased Takeharu Kirijo, the former CEO of the Kirijo Group, and the chairman of Gekkoukan High School, Shuji Ikutsuki.

"The facts are as plain as day..." Naoto murmured, taking a sip of her coffee. "They're little more than accidental deaths, or results of a possible mugging. Shuji Ikutsuki died from having fallen from the school rooftop, though why he was located there, especially given that he was seen there at midnight, is suspicious... and then there's Takeharu Kirijo. To the public, he died of an illness, but in reality, he was shot to death, yet the perp was an unknown... Hm."

She leaned back, a heavy frown on her face.

The gears in her mind were turning as she made a few hypothetical connections. The deaths of Ikutsuki and Kirijo were too close together to be coincidence.

She can form as many theories as she wishes, but she lacks the proper evidence to support them.

"...no matter." she decided in finality as she stood up, rubbing her eyes. It was getting late, and had to turn in for the night. "I can go over the details tomorrow." As she passed her desk, her eyes settled on the small photograph that rested atop the mantle of the fireplace. A sad look crossed along her beautiful features, seeing a young child with blue hair being embraced by adults on both sides, all three of them smiling happily.

"If only..." Naoto muttered. "If only I was born a man, then... maybe, I could truly be a great detective."

* * *

 _"The stage has been set."_

Within the realm of consciousness and subconsciousness, a lone figure stood in what appeared to be an ever-shifting void, flowing all around him. His form was just like that of the one Nylarathotep had assumed earlier, white suit and mask and all. His hands were inside his pants pockets while he looked up, a curious smile on his face. He had to admit, that was a rather bold of the vile being. Stripping Izanami-no-Okami of it's power, and then forging a new being entirely to take her place in the upcoming events.

" _However, that alone will not halt man's true nature._ " Philemon said with conviction. Unlike Nylarathotep, who thought that humans solely believed in destruction, he knew that they were so much more, capable of things beyond their wildest dreams. He truly believed in this. _"The game will soon begin... However, I can't help but wonder."_

His smile became one of amusement. _"What sort of bond will you create with the one who is so closely linked to you... Yu Narukami?"_

 **-Prologue: END-**

Preview!

Sho: H-hey! the hell're doing, walking around in my place like that?!

Yu: My name's Yu Narukami. It's nice to meet you.

Yosuke: I've heard of love at first sight, but that's ridiculous...!

?: T-this feeling in my chest... Aaah, my heart's beating too fast! N-no! Stop! DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!

Next Scent! Izana Miokami


	2. Chapter 2

_Episode 1: Welcome to Yasogami_

* * *

It had been a month since Minazuki brought that girl back... and Sho knew she would be trouble.

So... so much trouble.

"H-hey!" the red-haired teen shouted, his face painted scarlet as he tried to look away. "The hell're doing, walking around my place like that?!"

His attention was directed to the woman that was brought here. She had been living here for little under a month, and in that time, she had proven to be quite the difficult house guest. First of all, when she awoke, she had immediately slapped Minazuki in the face, though in her defense, she had awoken to find herself naked and in the home of someone she didn't know, and Sho's looks didn't help matters much either. Secondly, as it turned out, she was suffering from amnesia. That meant she had no idea who she was, where she was from, or why she was even here. Sho and Minazuki were skeptical at first, but as the days went by, they seen realized that she was telling the truth. She honestly had no clue who she was.

Finally, and most importantly... she disregarded anything Sho said, case in point being right now. She had stepped out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her waist, and another atop her head, which she was using to dry her hair.

The young woman looked at him blankly as she walked past him to the apartment's refrigerator.

"At least put some clothes on, dammit!" Sho yelled at her.

The woman didn't even so much as listen to him as she propped it open, and examined the contents.

"H-hey, are you even listening?!"

A sigh resounded in his head. ' _Give it up, Sho._ ' Minazuki told him. ' _It's obvious Miokami won't listen to you... or me, for that matter. She made that blatantly clear...'_ he mumbled the last part.

Miokami, or rather, Izana Miokami, was the name they had decided on. When they asked her for her name, she only spoke in mumbles, almost incoherent. Among them was "Iza" and "mio", and in the end, they had decided to fill in the rest. As a result, she was thereby given a name. Of course, Minazuki had done some research on her, but found absolutely nothing on her. She was an uknown, and a complete enigma. That was the reason she was even still here. He needed to ascertain whether or not she was a possible threat, and if she was, he would eliminate her.

Because she had absolutely nothing about her, or on her, the red-haired teen had taken it upon himself to provide her with what she needed, as much as he hated to do so. Minazuki forged her some documents with a false backstory, as well as an ID Card, a bank account, and so on. Basically, all of her bases were covered.

He thought the series of tasks to be tedious, but necessary. If she was going to find out about her past, she's going to require basic needs.

Both personalities just wished she would remember everything as soon as possible so they wouldn't have to put up with her.

It wasn't that she was a bad tenant, it was just she disregarded every one of their instructions.

Like now, for instance. She was walking around the apartment in only a towel for Kami's sake!

Izana disregarded whatever Sho commented as she pulled a can of TaP from the fridge, pulling the tab to push down the lid before it popped open with a hiss.

"Che, and there you go, drinking that crap..." Sho muttered a crude remark.

"...better than the crap you buy." Izana replied sharply, her voice smooth like brass with a melodious tone, and yet also cold and dismissive at the same time.

"Hey! At least I have some taste in drinks and food!" Sho argued.

"You mean to say cup ramen is a 'refined' dish?" the woman retorted before resuming to consume her drink.

"W-why you..."

Izana ignored him again and took another drink. She had to admit, TaP was rather addictive once you got a good taste for it.

She didn't know why...but she felt as if the drink helps restore mental fatigue. She actually welcomed such an effect after putting up with the two personalities sharing a body as her guardian.

But her mind was more preoccupied on the dream she's been having for the past month.

It was always the same thing. She would find herself in some strange beach, with giant earthen stags pointing out from the ground. The sky was pitch black, and the moon was distorted and warped, almost cracked. At first, she thought it was only herself, but there was one other person beside her, silently watching the waves pass by as he sat on the sandy grove, his knees up to his chest. His hair and eyes were so strange, a mop of silver hair atop the head and serene gray eyes staring out into the distance with the most peaceful look on his face.

She wasn't sure why, but she felt as if she knew this boy. She had tried talking to him, but it appeared that he was unable to hear her, despite the fact that he was aware of her presence. She was annoyed they could not communicate, but in the end, she settled just being near him. She always felt so at peace with him. Whenever he showed signs of sleepiness, she would always take him into her arms, and simply hold him there.

She relished in the warmth of his body. It was so comforting and...familiar. It was feeling that she did not want to let go of. She just wanted to stay by his side forever.

A content smile appeared on her face upon remembering that feeling, her cheeks lit with a faint blush.

"Oi, what's with that stupid look on your face?"

At once, the grin dropped to a frown as she glared at Sho. He had just interrupted one of her precious moments.

"Aaaaaand now you're back to a grumpy old lady." Sho grinned at her, much to her annoyance. "Get it?! Cause of your hair?!"

Izana gave him a flat look. "...even your split personality can make a better joke than that." she told him plainly.

A snarl broke out across his face. "For the last damned time, he isn't a split personality!" he said hotly. "Minazuki's been with me ever since I got that feather put it me!"

"Yeah, whatever floats your boat." Izana waved him off, causing him to growl. "I'm going out for a bit... try not to burn down the apartment while I'm gone this time?"

"That was one time!"

"And yet you were just boiling water for your cup ramen. I'm still amazed you were able to set water on fire." She spoke in mild sarcasm before walking away.

Sho let out a frustrated groan as he threw his hands up in the air. "Gaaaaaah! I hate that bitch!"

 _'I know how you feel, Sho, but until we know whether or not she's a threat, we have to keep an eye on her.'_ Minazuki reminded him. _'Her presence is anything BUT human, which implies a number of things. For all we know, she is related to Ikutsuki.'_

"I doubt it." the boy commented as he laid down on the floor, hands behind his head. "She seems like she'd get fed up with Ikutsuki-chan in a heartbeat."

 _'...fair point. Also, regarding what Miokami said..._ ' If Minazuki had a physical form, he would surely express his deadpanned stare. _'...how in the hell did you set water on fire?'_

"It wasn't my fault dammit! Blame whatever the hell was in that water!"

 _'The logical assumption was that you spilled oil on the water and ignited it...but I wouldn't put it past you to do the impossible.'_

"Oh for the love of...!"

"Talking to yourself again, I see..."

"Shut it you!" Sho snapped back at Izana.

Said girl in question had just finished getting dressed. She was wearing a simple white blouse with an open gray cardigan, and black parkour boots with red highlights. In addition, she had a white cloth that formed around her neck, acting much like a choker.

"So, where you going out now?" her landowner asked. "Going to that crappy shop again?"

"Just because it's crappy doesn't mean it has good stuff." Izana snarked. "Besides, there's a sale going on today... that, and we have school tomorrow." She glared at him intensely. "Also, speaking of this school stuff, would you mind asking your 'other' why in the name of Yomi he signed me up for this?"

"Just because you're living here for free doesn't mean you get to lay around like a lazy bum." Sho replied. "His words, not mine."

Izana scowled. It was completely unfair to her. Sure, she didn't have any place to go to, and contrary to what he thought, she was grateful that Sho allowed her to stay here, but why was she forced to go to school? She heard talk from a few people, likely students, that some of the teachers were quite strict, some more than others... and that there was a total asshole (their words, not hers) by the name of King Moron there.

And she was going to have to deal with this? With HIM?!

She really didn't want to go. Being with him in the same apartment was bad enough as it is.

"So yeah. Be sure to sleep early. School starts early tomorrow."

"...you and Minazuki suck ass." she crudely remarked, earning an annoying victorious grin from Sho. She sighed in disgust, and quickly left the apartment.

"...she is right about one thing, though." Sho said when he was sure she was out of earshot. "School's gonna suck."

* * *

The train ride had been more or less quiet than what Yu had expected.

Hardly any one was in the same compartment as him. It was as if he was the only one on route to Inaba. That thought alone wasn't quite as reassuring as he'd hoped.

He had just transferred schools from the big city due to his parents work...again.

Now, don't get him wrong. He loved his parents like any children would, but... he was getting tired of all this. It was a daily routine for him: go to a new place, make friends, stay for a year, then move to another town, make friends, stay for a year, then move to another time... and the cycle kept repeating itself.

He hated his parents' jobs. Once, he wished... just once he wanted to stay someplace and maybe form actual bonds, not casual ones that last for only a year before losing touch with them. It was tedious, and more often than not, annoying.

Vastly, annoying.

Still... he didn't have much choice in the matter. Besides, this time he was actually going to someplace quiet rather than some bustling city. A small rural town called Inaba, if he remembered right.

He also recalled that his mom told him that her brother would be there. So he was being sent to stay with his uncle for a year. Not that he minded. It was just that he didn't really remember much about him.

From what he was told, he was a police officer, and a widower at that. He had a young daughter who was still in elementary school, so thankfully, it wouldn't but an empty house, like always.

Peace and quiet... that was what he needed.

"Attention, passengers." a pitched void said over the intercoms. "We will arrive in Yasoinaba Station in a few minutes. Please gather your belongings, and wait outside the doors before we make our scheduled stop."

Yu knew it was time to get ready. He gathered up his things, which weren't many to begin with, and made his way over to the car door. When the train slowly screeched to a halt, the doors slid open. He walked outside and felt the fresh, clean air of the country side hit his face.

He breathed in the fresh air as he stepped into the platform. "Finally..." He was finally here. After the moderately long train ride, he was finally here in Inaba. Well, he better find his uncle now.

He stepped out of the station, shivering slightly from the cool breeze. "It's cold..." he muttered, tugging on his jacket tightly.

When he stepped out, he saw that Inaba was... really empty. The street was lined with little buildings and stores, the trees lined up to lead him down the path before him. In the distance, he could see several mountains, some with white tips. "There really is nothing here," he noted idly before taking out the slip of paper in his pocket. "Let's see... Uncle Dojima is supposed to be-ah!"

Another gust blowed behind him, and his paper was snatched away, dancing in the air. "Ah, dammit..." Yu cursed, about to chase after it when he looked ahead of him. Standing from afar was a young girl, looking listless.

He stopped where he stood, a few meters away from her. Her eyes were trained on the floating parchment before it got caught on her leg.

The girl was attractive looking, possessing a cold, yet finely shaped face with heart-like lips, her black hair cut at the chin neatly while her eyes remained a strange, cold color. Her attire was odd, especially given the time of year it was, a sleeveless buttoned shirt with black and red arm warmers, a checkered skirt, and black and white socks.

"...uh..." Yu started to say, unsure of what he should say. Why was she out here? And that look... was she staring off into space? "...are you... alright?"

The girl didn't reply. Rather, she bent down to pick up the piece of paper that was stuck on her boots before standing back up, this time looking straight at him. "...here." she said simply, holding the paper out to him. "You dropped this."

"uh, thank you..." Yu nodded gratefully.

"...Whatever. All I did was pick it up." she shrugged.

After that, the girl whirled around on her feet, and walked away briskly. Yu just stared at her back as he watched her go, left dumbfounded. 'Well, there's a cold shoulder if there ever was one.' he thought idly before looking at the paper in his hands. "Yasoinaba Station, 4:45. Wait for me to pick you up..."

Yu pulled out his cell phone, flipping it open. "It's 4:50, so... where's-"

"Well, you look more handsome than in your photo."

The silver haired teen turned around and faced the speaker.

He was a middle aged man, roughly in his late thirties. He had a tanned complexion with short messy hair and a bit of stubble on his face. He was dressed in a gray button shirt, red tie, and black slacks. He had a black suit coat over one shoulder.

When Yu looked closely, he could also see another smaller figure behind the man.

It was a young girl, probably five or six years old, wearing a white turtleneck with a pink and brown design around the chest and hem, having small hair done into twin, small tails on either side of her head. She was standing behind the man's leg, one hand clasped around his, and the other clenching his pant's leg.

"And you've really grown, too." the man remarked with a smile. "The last time I saw you, were this small."

Yu tilted his head, unsure of whether or not he had met this man before. He did vaguely familiar, especially the girl... wait, didn't his mom say his uncle had a daughter?

"I guess you don't really remember me, huh?" the man asked, scratching the back of his neck upon seeing Yu's confusion. "Then again, you were still in diapers. My name is Ryotaro Dojima. I'll be looking after you. Let's see... I'm you mother's younger brother, and that really just about sums it up."

"O-oh..." Yu blushed a little, bowing his head in apology. "I-I'm sorry. I'm Yu Narukami. Please, take care of me."

"Hey now, no need to be so formal. We're all family, aren't we?" The man chuckled. Then he turned to look at the girl hiding behind her. "C'mon Nanako. Please say hi to your cousin." He urged politely.

The girl looked to her feet, then up to face Yu. "...'lo..." She murmured softly before shuffling back behind her dad.

"What are you so shy for?" Dojima asked, grinning. Nanako pouted as she whacked him on the leg. "Ow! Hahahahaha..."

Yu couldn't help but let out a small grin at the two's antics. They were just so lively. Maybe he was going to like it here.

"Well, anyway..." Dojima said, turning to him. "Let's get going. My car's over there."

* * *

They arrived at a gas station after a few minutes, as Dojima had needed to refill his tank, having been running half empty for almost a week now. Once he pulled up to the station, an attendant wearing a red and orange jacket and cap came running out of the store, a pleasant smile on his face. "Hello!" he greeted them. "Welcome to Moel!"

Dojima turned to his daughter. "Can you go to the bathroom by yourself?"

Nanako nodded, and opened the door as the other two males exited. She stopped for a moment as he looked for the bathroom, searching the area until the attendant spoke up. "Bathroom's to the right, case your wondering, little miss."

"I know!" Nanako snapped. "Jeez..."

The little girl walked off to the restroom in a huff. Yu stepped out as well, getting some fresh air.

"Well, as good as time as any for a smoke..." Dojima said as he took out a cigarette and a lighter before walking a good distance away from the station.

"Fill it up while your at it," the man said over his shoulder to the attendant as he walked away. "Regular is fine."

"You got it!"

With that, Dojima moved away for a smoke. Meanwhile, Yu just took in the sights, looking around what appeared to be a shopping district. Strips of shops lining the street, though most of them appeared to be closed, their doors barred with steel shutters. "You don't look like you're from here," the attendant said to him as he placed the hose into the car, earning Yu's attention. "You from the city?"

"Huh? O-oh, yeah." he nodded. "My parents are working overseas, so they're leaving me with Dojima-san and his daughter."

"Well, that's gotta suck." the attendant commented. "I mean, getting stuck all the way out here? Now, don't get me wrong, Inaba is great and all, but it doesn't really offer much."

"Actually, I think I'm going to enjoy some peace and quiet."

"I see...well, that's good to hear. You'll be getting plenty of that in this town." The attendant then looked around. "But sill, there really isn't much to do. You'd probably doing some part time jobs or hanging out with friends to pass the time.""Friends, huh..." Yu muttered absent minded.

"Yeah. You may have moved here, but I'm sure you'll be making friends."

He sincerely doubted that. He had acquaintances, but never friends. Never once did he make a true connection with people. The longest he would be with them would be little more than a year, hardly enough time to forge an actual connection. By the time he was in his first year of high school, he had all but given up on making any real connections. What would be the point? He would have to move away again... and he had enough of saying goodbyes. That was all his life was about.

"Well, anyway," the attendant smiled at him as he stood up. "Are you in high school?" Yu nodded back. "I have a friend who's still in school himself, a third year actually. What year will you be in?"

"Junior class."

A laugh escaped him. "In that case, better hope you don't get Kinshiro Mooroka. I hear he's a real asshole."

"Is that right...?" Yu was passive about this. In all his years of transferring to different schools, he had his run in with many incompetent teachers and assholes. Nothing would be new to him.

"Yeah."

The attendant stood back up. "Well, I better get back to work." he said. "Well, later!"

Yu nodded as the man went back to work. He looked around the shopping district again before he noticed Nanako looking at him from the entrance to the washroom.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she asked as she walked up to him. "You don't look to good."

Yu frowned a bit before he noticed his reflection in the window. His face was slightly pale, and dark rings were underneath his eyes.

This revelation startled Yu slightly. Was he really THAT tired from the train ride?

"You must be pretty ragged after that train ride." Dojima commented as he walked up to him, his cigarette butt dying out. "Why don't you walk around for a bit? Stretch your legs a little?"

"Yeah...I think that's probably a good idea." Yu nodded before stepping away from the car. Maybe he would take a look around the neighborhood.

"Just don't wander off too far."

Yu nodded, and began to explore the Shopping District.

* * *

"Well, this should keep me and the loudmouth from starving for a bit." Izana commented as she left the grocery store beside the metalworks shop beside her. A bag of various foods was in her hand. "Seriously," she sighed in annoyance. "How can he expect to live off of just instant ramen? It's bad for your health!"

She shook her head in exasperation. At least she knew how to cook somewhat. She could only make simple dishes, but it was more than enough to sustain them. Neither Sho nor Minazuki could cook at all! Which is why they resort to instant crap.

She had fully expected Minazuki, at the very least, to know how to cook. He was far more intelligent, leagues smarter than his significant other, but in the end, he knew absolutely nothing of how to cook. It left her dumbfounded and exasperated. How the hell could you not know how to cook?! Especially when your intelligent enough to hack into a freakin' database to forge documents and make a false identity for someone?!

Again, she sighed in aggravation before looking around Inaba. It was fairly small and quaint, and while anyone from outside would find it boorish, she found it... wonderful.

Whenever she walked through this quiet town...all she felt was peace and nostalgia. It was a pleasant feeling, one where she relished. Just by exploring Inaba she feels as if she were in her own sanctuary.

Of course, she felt some discontent as well.

She didn't know why...but this place also felt...off to her.

It was the people in general. They seemed so cheerful and carefree, yet somehow they were also bearing animosity. She recognized that it came from the Junes store that was not far from here. In all honesty, she failed to see the problem. If they actually cared, wouldn't it be better to apply for a job there, provided a spot was open? Also, it held a more broad, wider variety of products, so life would be better, wouldn't it?

So... why all of this anger? It was almost like they were simply lying to themselves.

She just didn't understand it. Why were they trying so hard to deny their true feelings? What was the point?

Once more, she sighed. "Humans are so complicated..." she muttered as she started moving once more-

-only to bump into someone, causing her to crash into the ground, and her bag falling from her grasp.

Thankfully, the contents were unharmed as they spilled. Izana rubbed her bruised rear, irritated about what happened.

"I-I'm sorry, are you okay...?"

The woman scowled, about to retort as she looked up.

Anything she had to say was gone in an instant. Her face went scarlet red.

"Are...you okay...?" The young man repeated as he extended a hand out to her to help her up.

Izana didn't take the hand. She was left perfecly frozen in place, staring at him with large eyes. Her blush was getting heavier by the second.

She was just so...captivated by him. She didn't know why, but her heart raced as she stared into his glowing silver orbs, whcih were laced in concern.

And... his face... it was... just like...!

"Are you okay...You're not hurt are you?" He spoke again, genuinely worried. But for some reason...the man couldn't help but feel as if she were familiar.

"E-eh...?!" Izana finally snapped back into reality. "U-um... yes!" She took his hand to hers, only to feel a strange feeling wash over her as she did.

It was warm...warm and comforting...as if he were the thing needed to fill a void in her being.

Likewise, the young man felt a strange feeling wash over him. It held two contradicting aspects that had nearly caused him to flinch in discomfort. He felt warmth and comfort, a feeling he felt from only the dream he had... and yet he felt a slithering coldness, creeping into his very being.

It was disturbing, yet comforting. He did not know what to make of this paradox. It was almost surreal to him.

He shook his head before turning his attention to the girl. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. "I'm really sorry, I should have looked where I was going."

Izana was red in the face when she answered him. "Oh, n-no no no! It was my fault!"

Izana didn't get it. Why was she acting so flustered around this man?

Was it his serene, gray eyes? Was it his kind, outward gentle nature? Or was it his beautiful face?

She couldn't get them out of her mind...he looks exactly like the man from her dream...It was too close to be coincidence.

"E-even still, I should apologize." the young man told her. "I should have been more careful... are you alright? Your face is all red."

"N-no! I'm alright! Really!"

"Are you sure? I can-"

"O-oh, look at the time! Gotta go! See ya!"

In a blur, Izana picked up her fallen groceries and sped off leaving a confused Yu in her wake.

He blinked rapidly, unsure of what had just happened. "...I know I've seen her before, but where?" he muttered before shaking his head. "Wait, what am I saying? I only just came here."

It was ridiculous. He had just arrived in this town. There was no way he would've seen that girl before. And yet...why couldn't he shake off this nagging feeling?

He sighed, scratching the back of his head, turning his head to see Dojima and Nanako waiting for him.

* * *

"W-w-w-w-w-w-why is my heart beating so fast?!"

Izana muttered to herself as she sped her way through the streets. Her mind was preoccupied with what transpired earlier...with that man...

 _'T-this feeling in my chest...'_ she thought, her face burning crimson. _'Aaah, my heart's beating too fast!'_ Her mind flashed back to when she saw his face, so genuinly concerned for her... so beautiful...

 _'N-no! stop! **DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!** '_

By the time she reached the apartment, steam was pouring out of her head.

 _'Could he really be...? If he is...!'_ She couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Oh, back already?" she heard the red-haired idiot's voice call out to her. Sho appeared in the main hallway which connected the room and the door, and raised an eyebrow. "Whoa, what's wrong with your face? It looks redder than my own freakin' hair!"

Immediately, Izana snapped out of her stupor, a scowl of irritation replacing her smile of bliss.

"Christ, I've heard of mood swings, but damn girl!" he grinned. "So, what got your panties in a bunch?"

"Nothing that concerns you!" she snapped angrily. "Why are you even here?!"

"Case you forgot, I LIVE here."

"...Oh..." Izana really HAD forgotten that fact for a moment.

"So, what was with the happy grin?" he asked, shoving his hands behind his head. "What? Did you find your prince charming or something?"

"N-none of your business!" she snapped hotly, her face burning red. Sho grinned upon seeing it.

"Hahaha! You did!"

"I-I did not!"

"Your face says otherwise!"

"Shut up!"

She scowled heavily as she threw him the bag, stomping past him and heading straight to her own room, closing the door shut. Sho, meanwhile, just grinned as he peeked inside. "Hehehe, she's so easy to read~"

 _'...you know, I read online the other day that, apparently, there is an old saying.'_ Minazuki spoke up. ' _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. If you are not careful, Sho, well... I do believe even I can't help you with her if you push her too far.'_

"Oh, come on, it's just stupid teasing!" he waved off his friend's concern. "Still, gotta wonder... With her attitude, who the hell would fall in love with her of all people?"

* * *

"Ah... ah... Achoo!"

Dojima chuckled as set the cup down on the table in front of Yu. "Did you catch a cold?" he asked as he took a seat between his nephew and daughter. It is pretty cold out there."

"Ah, no, I don't think so..." Yu told him, rubbing his nose. "It's more like someone's talking about me."

Who exactly could be talking about him? He barely even knew anyone here. And he was sure that his old acquaintances wouldn't do so.

"Well, just in case, you better go to bed early." his uncle suggested. "After all, you have school tomorrow." Yu nodded. "Still, though... Talk about rotten luck, having to stay here while your parents are out overseas. Must be rough for a kid."

"Not as much as you think," the teen replied back. "I'm used to it."

"Is... that so..." Dojima frowned heavily. Though most people would often dismiss such a remark, he seemed to recognize that his nephew was... tired. Much more so that the regular teenager. 'Kid must have moved around for nearly all of his life.' he noted in his head. 'He must have had to leave a lot of friends because of his parent's jobs... Jeez, no wonder sis said I'd need to be careful when talking with him.'

"W-well, anyway..." he coughed awkwardly in his hand. "So long as you're here, you're like family. So make yourself at home."

"thank you for your kindness..." Yu bowed formally.

"hey now, no need to be so formal. Like I said, we're family."

He nodded back, and picked up his chopsticks. "Well, anyway..." Dojima began. "Let's eat." Sadly, before any could take the first bite, a loud beeping echoed in the room. Dojima groaned. "Who's calling me at THIS hour?" he grumbled as he stood up, taking out his cell phone and pressing it against his ear. "Dojima speaking."

Yu raised an eyebrow, wondering who was speaking with his uncle when he noticed the sudden downcast expression on Nanako's face, staring down at her food. "I see..." Dojima mumbled. "So, where is it?"

"Uh-huh..." A sigh escaped him. "Looks like I made the right choice to skip the booze."

He then turned to the seated duo. "I gotta head to the station. You two can go ahead and eat without me. I'll try to come home soon." He told them before gathering his things and walking out the door.

Nanako sighed in disappointment.

Once he reached the door, however, the familiar titter-patter sounds resounded. "Nanako, it's raining out!" Dojima called out. "Did you get the laundry?!"

"I already brought it in!"

"Alright!" he shouted back. "Well, I'm off!"

The house was then quiet.

Yu looked to his cousin, who was simply picking at her food, suddenly losing her appetite.

"...Are you alright?" The silver haired teen asked.

"Huh?" Nanako blinked, apparently having been lost in thought before she nodded back shyly. "Y-yeah... My dad always leaves whenever he gets a call." Yu frowned in confusion, leading the small girl to elaborate. "He's a detective."

"Really?" Yu question in mild surprise. Based on his attire, he had assumed that Dojima was part of law enforcement, he didn't guess he was a detective.

Nanako nodded. As she delved back into her dinner, the TV, which had been relatively quiet until now, began to tel a news story. "Our top story today..." the news anchor began. "Councilmen Secretary, Taro Namatame, is under hot fire, after having been discovered having an affair with Mayumi Yamano, a local announcer in the Inaba region. As a result of the scandal, Namatame's wife, Misuzu Hiragi, has been filing damages, and even the possibility of a divorce."

Nanako looked a bit off-put by he whole thing. "This is boring." she said as she took the remote, and changed the channel.

The screen was then taken over by the image of a Super Store with many bright colors.

"At Junes, everyday is customer appreciation day. So be sure to get in tune with our products~" The announcer lady said. Then the jingle rang out.

 _"Every day's great at your Junes~"_

Nanako's face brightened, a smile on her face as she wagged her fingers in tune with her head. "Every day's great at your Junes~" she sang. Yu couldn't help but smile.

Strangely, he couldn't help but sing too. "Every day's great at your Junes."

"Wow! You are a really good singer!" Nanako beamed, her previous depression forgotten.

"Thank you. But I think you're a better one than I am."

Nanako grinned. "I'm the best one in my class!"

"Good for you." Yu smiled back. He was glad to get his cousin's mind off of depressing things. He just didn't believe children should be sad like that.

"...aren't you going to eat?"

It was then Yu realized that he had yet to actually eat his food, and blushed heavily. "T-thank you for the meal!"

* * *

"...I hate the rain." Izana muttered as she stared out the window.

The drops of water poured down heavily from the heavens above. They pelted loudly against the pane of glass. Even thunder boomed and lighting flashed in the skies. The silver haired woman found the sight to be dreary and depressing, as if the heavens were crying.

"I know the feeling," Minazuki replied. Sho had decided to sleep early, therefore the alternate personality was left in control, as per his duty to protect the teen. "I find it to be rather depressing myself... and perhaps a bit dreary."

"Well, this is a shocker." Izana replied dryly. "The SPD freak is actually conversing with me?"

"For the last time, Miokami," Minazuki sighed. "Sho and I are not 'split personalities,' as you put it."

"Then what is it?"

"...that is none of your business."

"You know, the more you avoid the question, the more it makes me curious..." SHe commented lightly.

"You wouldn't understand, even if I told you." the cold-eyed entity told her, his tone icy. "At any rate, school will begin tomorrow. Try not to cause trouble."

Izana snorted. "Tell that to your significant other, not me."

"I would, but he's asleep right now. Regardless, you should go to bed soon. School starts early in the morning."

Izana groaned. "What are you, my mother?"

"Technically speaking, I'm your landlord alongside Sho." Minazuki pointed out to her.

"It was a rhetorical question." Izana sighed.

"Just go to bed."

Izana shrugged her shoulders before she stood up, heading over to her room.

"Just what are we going to do with that girl?" Minazku shook his head in exasperation. He then turned to look out the window. "...Doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon."

* * *

It was the same dream again. The same beach, the same waves, the same disfigured moon... even him.

The young man stood on the shoreline, his gaze focused on the dimly lit horizon. At first, he didn't seem to notice her until she approached closer to him.

Unlike last time, both could see their features much more clearly. The woman had dark silver hair and beautiful red eyes, while he bore gray hair, which starkly contrasted his young age, and silver eyes.

To each of them, the other was simply...breath taking...Unbeknownst to them, they closed the distance between them until their faces were only mere inches apart.

The woman wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead against his. Their noses were touching, lips merely centimeters apart.

"...beautiful," the young man muttered, his face red.

The woman blushed at the compliment, getting a mutual feeling from the man. He was just so...handsome...As if he were the most perfect man in the world.

It was then that she realized something... she could hear him.

She...she could actually hear him! After many weeks of having the same dream, he was unable to hear his voice. But now that she was able to...she felt herself melt at his words. His voice was a smooth and even baritone.

She smiled softly, closing the distance. Their lips finally met.

Both felt a myriad of emotions overwhelm their senses. Joy, excitement, longing, peace, arousal, contentment, but most of all...love.

Her hands held his face while his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her close to him. Their kiss deepened, emotions becoming a fiery passion.

She felt herself become lost in this burning affection. They held one another closer, as if they were afraid of losing each other.

The young man fell on his back, leaving her to straddle his waist. Eventually, their lips parted, allowing their tongues to dance around each other.

The affect they held for one another soon fell to lusting one another. However, neither made any movement to stop this progress. Rather, they welcomed it.

Their hands became intertwined, and began pushing further. Eventually, the woman let out soft moans in his mouth. "Mn...~" she gasped when the boy took dominance in their tongue war, exploring her mouth extensively.

They fanned the flames of passion to burn more intensely. They were lost in one another's grasp. They intend to leave it that way. All around them, the world had faded until it was just them, and them alone.

Eventually, however, they needed to break away for air. They gasped heavily, their chests rising and falling while sweat caked their skin, eyes glazed over in passion. Her hair gently framed his face, staring at one another.

"Iza...mi..." The word spilled out of his mouth, but She couldn't hear everything what the male said.

"...ey..."

"Eh?" she blinked. "What did... you say?"

"...ake up..."

"Wait, that isn't your..."

"...ammit you witch!"

"That's-"

 _ **"WAKE UP YOU STUPID IDIOT!"**_

* * *

"Guah!" Izana cried as she fell off her bed and crashed onto the cold, wooden floor.

"About damn time!" Sho shouted in an agitated manner.

Izana blinked rapidly, her eyes training on the ceiling above her. It took about several seconds for her to register what had just happened.

Then her face brightened absolutely red. _'T-t-that... that was...!'_

There was no doubt about it now. The boy she saw in her dream... it was the kid she met back in the shopping district yesterday!

The one she wanted to meet most of all...was the person she ran into this morning!

...She needed to see him again!

"Oi, oi!" Sho called out, growing increasingly annoyed. "You gonna get your ass up or... what..."

He trailed off when Izana, having recalled exactly who it was that snapped her out of her wonderful dream, suddenly looked up at him from the floor. He wasn't sure why, but when her red eyes suddenly glared at him, his body froze. Her body was shaking, and her teeth gnashed together harshly.

"Mi-na-zu-ki...!"

 _'S-Sho, I think you better run!'_

"W-wait, what?!"

"Y-you... you...!"

Finally, all of hell broke loose.

 _ **"YOU STUPID IDIOOOOOOOOOOOT!"**_

The red haired teen didn't even have a chance to react when Izana's fist came hurtling toward his face. Sho flew out of her room and crashed into the opposing wall. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he slumped down in unconsciousness.

Minazuki couldn't help but shiver. _'Women... are a terrifying thing indeed.'_

* * *

When Yu met his teacher, he instantly understood exactly what the gas-station attendant from Moel was talking about.

He was a middle aged man hunched over in a blue pin-stripe suit and yellow tie. His face was constantly in an irritated scowl, his buck teeth protruding out of his mouth in a horse-like overbite. His dark hair was fashioned in a bland bob cut.

"Che, so you're one of the new kids, huh?" the man asked. Yu flinched a bit. _'Two words,'_ he thought in revolt. _'Breath mints.'_ "I hear your supposed to be from the city, that right?"

"Y-yes, sensei." Yu answered, trying to be as polite. "Yu Narukami."

"Look, kid, I couldn't care less where you came from, or who your parents are!" the teacher snapped at him. "As long as your in my class, I better expect you to behave! Got it!"

"Y-yes, sir..."

' _What is it with this guy?'_ Yu thought. _'I've barely met him, and yet he already hates me? And here I thought my stricter teachers had it out for me.'_

"Anyway..." the man coughed in his hand. "I'm Kinshiro Mooroka, and I'll be the guy responsible for making sure you and every rotten brat in my class passes this year. Also, we've got two more newcomers, both of which were apparently home-schooled." At this, Mooroka scoffed. "They always send me the problem kids...!"

As he said this, Yu sweat-dropped. _'...not even a minute, and I already want him to shut up.'_

The gas station attendant was right, he really was going to hate this teacher.

But then he processed what he said. Two more students? So he wasn't the only one?

As soon as he thought this, the door opened.

"Dammit, what the hell woman? Did you have to hit me so damned hard?!"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it, Sho-baka!"

Yu turned to the door to look at the newest entry. He was a lanky teen of the same age and height as him. However, he had the coat of his uniform tied around his waist, leaving a dark green shirt on his torso. He had messy crimson hair and piercing silver eyes. However, the most prominent feature was the X-shaped scar in between his eyes.

Next to him was...

Yu gasped, eyes widening in surprise. His cheeks became bright red. "Y-you...!"

The figure beside him shared the same sentiments, her own cheeks flushed bright red.

It was the girl from before, both in dreams and from yesterday morning when he first arrived. She wore the female Yasogami High uniform: a sailor uniform with a yellow tie and a gray and black patterned skirt. She also retained her white, x-shaped choker around her neck. In addition, she had thigh-length socks with a similar pattern, bearing an "X" at the very front and back.

"Huh?" the red-haired boy frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

The teacher scowled. "Great! A delinquent! As if Tatsumi wasn't enough!" he growled as he shoved Yu off to one side, stomping in front of the teen. "Listen up, you little-!"

"Who the fuck are you supposed to be, buck teeth?!"

Sho glared at the shorter teacher before him, irritation laced in his tone. The sudden retort caught the teacher off guard, but the older man reoriented himself and was even more angry than before.

"What the hell did you just call me you little punk?!"

"Ugh, dude!" he backed away, waving his hand in front of his face. "Your breath reeks! What the hell did you wash your mouth with?! Sewer water?!"

Yu gawked at the sight. _'Is-is he seriously picking a fight with a teacher?!'_

The girl sighed, palming her face. "Sho, you idiot...!"

"That tears it! You're on my shit list! Effective immediately!" The teacher yelled.

"As if I give a damn."

"W-why you little...!"

"U-um, Mr. Mooroka!" Yu quickly decided to butt in before things got too out of hand. It wouldn't do well for a fight to break out, especially on the first day of school. "D-don't you think you should get us to class?! I-I mean, well, it wouldn't do you good to keep your students waiting, right? Who knows what they're doing without someone to keep them in line!"

Mooroka growled, gnashing his teeth. He looked just about ready to throttle the red-haired brat, but he knew the kid had a point. "...tch!" he scowled. "I'll deal with you later!"

Sho merely scoffed as the man shoved him out of the way, practically throwing the door open. "Hurry up, you three!" he snarled at them before moving into the hallway. Yu gave a huge sigh of relief. ' _Hallelujah_.'

The girl was not pleased in the least. "What the hell were you thinking, you moron?!" she snapped at him. "Are you trying to get expelled on the first day?!"

"Hey, I don't even wanna be here!" Sho shot back. "But Minazuki had to go and put me in this rat hole!"

"Then why drag me into this as well if you're just going to get us kicked out?!"

"Um..." Yu raised his hand, gaining the two's attention. "Should I... leave?"

The girl's face brightened again as she shook her head. "N-no! In-in fact, we should probably go!"

Sho groaned. "Dammit all..." he muttered before he looked at Yu. "So, you're stuck in this place too?"

"Yeah..." he nodded. "For a whole year..."

"They call this place a school, and I call it a prison." the red-haired boy scoffed. "Oh, yeah... I'm Sho. Sho Minazuki." He stabbed a thumb at the girl. "And this freeloader is Izana Miokami."

Strangely, she didn't appear to hear his insult as she bowed humbly, her face still red. "It's... it's very nice to meet you!"

Yu blushed as he scratched his cheek. "A-and I'm Yu. Yu Narukami... nice to meet you."

Yu couldn't find it in him to look her directly in the eye...as she looked exactly like the girl he had seen in his dreams last night.

Just remembering the dream was enough to cause him to blush like mad. His hand unconsciously went to his lips. The warmth was almost real... real enough to make him nearly pant from embarrassment. He could still recall how wonderful she was, how warm her body felt...

"...oooookay, why the hell are you two ogling each other?" SHo asked, causing the two to freeze. "Don't tell me you two are in love with each other or something?"

Neither teen responded to what the red haired man said. Or rather...neither of them even recognized what he said. They were too focused on one another.

"Hello?!"

Eventually, the boy sighed, scratching his head. "What the hell... they're in their own little world?!" he grumbled before turning back to the hallway. "I don't wanna deal with that idiot."

* * *

The classroom for the second-year, Class 2, was buzzing.

"Hey, did you hear?"

"Bout what?"

"We're getting three new students! Two guys and a girl!"

"Really? I hope she's cute."

"I hear one of them is from the city!"

"Seriously? Why's he all the way out here in the boonies?"

"Is it true one of them has a horrible scar on his face?"

"Wait, seriously? Aw man! And here I thought Kanji Tatsumi was bad enough...!"

"I heard that he even pissed of King Moron when he first walked in!"

"Seriously?! Wow, he's got balls, I'll give him that!"

"I wonder what the other guy is like?"

And the gossip continued.

Two girls became interested in the topic. One was a girl with short brown hair and soft eyes, wearing a green turtleneck sports jacket with green strips, while the other had long black hair, wearing a red cardigan over her sailor uniform. "A guy from the city, and a guy who pissed off King Moron the moment he met him..." Chie Satonaka remarked with intrigue as she looked over to the student behind her. "What do you think, Yosuke?"

Yosuke Hanamura didn't reply, his face set on the desk. His hair was a messy mane of light brown hair, and had orange and red headphones around his neck. Chie raised an eyebrow. "You look dead today."

The teen groaned. "Y-yeah, um... I don't wanna talk about it."

"Geez, what's got you so depressed?"

"N-nothing..." Yosuke shook his head.

He really couldn't tell them about what happened... especially not Chie. She'd just might kill him if she found out he broke her DVD! B-but, it wasn't his fault, right?! It wasn't his fault that he slammed into that light pole, and ended up whacked between the legs, right?!

Chie turned to Yukiko, raising an eyebrow. "What's his problem?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows?"

The chatter ceased when the doors opened, reveal Mooroka, along with the new three students.

"Alright, shut your traps!" The homeroom teacher hollered. The noise dwindled down to silence. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward! First things first! Just 'cause it's spring doesn't mean you can swoon over each other like love-struck baboons! Long as I'm around, you students are going to be pure as the driven snow!

Everyone just sweatdropped.

"Now I hate wasting my time, but I better introduce these transfer students."

Mooroka gave them a side-ways glance, though he scowled heavily when his eyes fell on Sho. "Two of these brats have been homeschooled their whole lives, and one of them is nothing more than scum like a certain first year! The last one is a sad-sack was tossed out of the city like yesterday's garbage, and all three of them are nothing but losers! So you kids better not get any ideas about hitting on 'em!"

Everyone could literally feel how much the red-haired boy wanted to beat the shit out of the teacher. A few even begged for it.

"Tell your names, and make it quick!"

The silver-haired boy went first, bowing his head. "My name is Yu Narukami. It's nice to meet all of you." He paused. "And no, I am not garbage from the city. As a matter of fact, I took a shower the other night."

Mooroka felt his eyebrow twitch. Some of the students snickered, particularly Chie.

"...Izana Miokami." the red-eyed girl said simply. She said nothing more after that. Some of the boys whistled loudly, a few of them ogling her, though they quickly shut up when the teacher glared at them, practically screaming bloody murder.

Finally, the teen with the scar went first. And naturally, his introduction was the most colorful as he glared at the teacher, scowling. "Who the hell are you calling a loser?" he snapped. "You sure that ain't you, old man?"

This proclamation startled all the students seated. They couldn't believe what they were hearing! This transfer student had just insulted King Moron in front of the entire student body!

Most of them wanted to clap in approval for the guts Sho has demonstrated.

"You are really trying to get me pissed, aren't ya kid?!"

"Uh, yeah...kinda the point." Sho smirked.

"Just take your seat!"

The boy shrugged. "Whatever... Oh, the name's Sho! Sho Minazuki!"

Yu sweat dropped, turning to Izana. "Is he... always like this?"

The girl sighed. "More than you think."

"Just take your seats!" Morooka yelled again.

"Hey, Morooka-sensei!" Chie raised her hand. "Is it okay if the transfer student sit here? She gestured to the seats open by her, Yosuke, and Yukiko.

"Huh?" Mooroka looked at the empy stop. "Oh, yeah, sure." He glared at Yu. "Hear that? Your seat's over there, so hurry up and siddown already!"

Yu sighed, scratch the back of his head as he took his seat beside the girl. Meanwhile, Izana sat to the desk right next to him, which was offered by another member. Sho was placed up front by Mooroka, but it was clear the red-head obviously didn't give a damn about decorum as he propped his feet up on his desk.

Small whispers filled the classroom.

"Damn, did you see that?!"

"That guy's got some balls to try and pull that with King Moron..."

"Yeah. But getting stuck on King Moron's class on the first morning here?"

"Yeah, he won't think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side."

"Then again, we're all in the same boat."

' _I guess everyone here doesn't like him.'_ Yu thought, noting how tense everyone was... well, everyone except Izana and Sho.

"He's the worst, huh?" Chie whispered to him. "Rotten luck for you to get stuck with King Moron in this class." She offered him an encouraging smile. "Well, we'll just have to hang in there for a year!"

"Hey, shut yer traps!" Mooroka yelled, silencing the idle chatter. "I'm taking role, and I better damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!"

' _So,_ ' the young man thought. ' _This is my new school life...'_

 **-Episode 1: END-**

Preview!

Chie: Stop right there! What did you do to my DVD?!

Sho: Who the hell needs friends?! All they're good for is stabbing you in the back!

Izana: U-um... W-would you... L-like to... WALK HOME WITH ME?!

Yu: She's the one... from my dreams...

Yosuke: BOO-YA!

Next Scent! Mayonaka TV


	3. Chapter 3

_Episode 2: Mayonaka TV_

"That's all for today," Mooroka droned as school, at long last, reached it's end. "Normal lectures will start tomorrow."

"Finally!" Sho snapped as the class moved out of their seats, finally now able to stretch their legs. "Good god, that was boring! How do these people sit through this crap?!"

 _'I, for one, found it quite the learning experience.'_ Minazuki quipped. _'I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow.'_

Sho groaned upon hearing Minazuki's excitement about school. He knew this was a bad idea, and he shouldn't have let that bastard talk him into this. Why the hell had Ikutsuki put him here anyway?! Was this his way of stabbing him further in the back by boring him to death with these lectures?! He looked to see Izana standing with that gray-haired kid, Yu he thinks his name was, along with a few other girls, chatting away. He raised an eyebrow when he saw a smile on the girl's face.

"I don't get it." he muttered. "How come she smiles around that guy? They just barely met, and somehow, it's like- boom! Love at first sight!"

 _'I do not know.'_ Minazuki stated. _'But unlike us, she seems to be more open to this, Yu Narukami.'_

"I think you mean all over him," Sho gagged. "Seriously, it's friggin annoying!"

As he was about to leave the classroom, a small chime echoed from the PA system. "Attention, all students."

"Oh, great," the redhead groaned. "Now what?"

"All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave until further notice." A small closing chime resounded.

"Hrnh. You heard the announcement. Don't go anywhere until you hear otherwise." Morooka ordered. He then left the room.

Sho scowled at the man's words, with the class grumbling. "Pissant," the red-head remarked crudely before walking up to Izana and Yu. "Yo."

"Oh," Yu greeted, nodding. "Hello... Sho-san, was it?"

The two girls that had been chatting with Yu and Izana became slightly nervous when he approached. It was natural, given his appearance. His cold blue eyes made him look slightly menacing, but the scar on his face had made him looked rather terrifying. The red-eyed girl, on the other hand, looked rather displeased by his appearance. "Hello to you too, Mr. SPD."

"Right back at you, free loader."

"I'll have you know I do much more than you." She quipped.

"Pft. Whatever." He shrugged.

Yu raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you two live together?"

"Yeah, though this idiot hardly does anything productive," she shrugged her shoulders. "All he does is eat instant crap, and whines about things being boring."

Sho snorted. "There's nothing wrong with instant stuff."

"It is when all you eat is noodles!" Izana snapped. "If you wanna get fat, be my guest!"

Yu frowned, clearly in disapproval of the redhead's eating habits. "She has a point, Sho-san." he said honestly. "You really need to find more nutrition in your diet."

 _'On that, we agree.'_ Minazuki said in agreement, causing Sho to scowl.

"Piss off!"

"Hey, he was just trying to give you some advice. No need to be a jackass about it." The girl scolded him.

"She's right," Izana glared at him. "Don't be so mean to him."

"And what are you supposed to be? His mom? I think the old man here capable of looking after himself!"

The silver-haired teen didn't give any visible reaction to Sho's comment, but his response was quite interesting, to say the least. "If I'm old man, then shouldn't you be showing respect to your seniors?"

"Huh? What'cha talking about? Why should I respect you?"

"Well, you did say I was an old man, so that technically makes me older than you, right?"

"Like hell it does!" Sho shouted. "I was talking about your hair, you ass!"

"You're in no position to talk about someone's hair, Sho." Izana retorted. "Need I remind you how bloody your hair looks?"

"Oh, bite me."

"No thanks. I'd rather not get sick."

"Screw you!" Sho looked away in irritation.

"No thanks. I'd rather not."

 _'Damn this woman!'_ he screamed to Minazuki. _'God, I want to throttle her!'_

 _'Well, you technically walked right into that one.'_ Minazuki deadpanned, making Sho face-fault. Who's side was this guy on?! Wasn't he supposed to be on his side?! One of the girls looked at Izana in slight awe of how she was able Sho so easily, as if she were hardly afraid of him. Well, then again, they did hear that the two lived together, so she must have been very used to him. "You've got some serious balls, Miokami-san." she said honestly. "How can you handle this guy? I mean, he looks scarier than Kanji Tatsumi from the first year class."

"Eh, he's not that scary. Besides, he's not like buck-teeth earlier." Izana replied before scowling. "That guy really grates on my nerves."

"Join the club." Sho said, also not a fan of the homeroom teacher. "I was this close to punching his teeth in."

"You would have made a lot of people happy, then." the other girl present told him. "Everyone at this school calls him 'King Moron.'"

"That's a perfectly fitting name for him." Izana stated.

Sho on the other hand had burst out laughing.

"Ahahahahaha! K-King Moron...?! HA! He must be one hell of a douche to get a name like that!"

"The attendant at the gas station said the same thing when I arrived here yesterday." Yu added. "At first, I thought he was just joking. Obviously, he wasn't."

"That gas attendant is a pretty sharp guy, then." Sho commented.

"I understand. Please be careful."

As they continued to converse, the PA system cracked to life.

"Attention, all students." The voice sounded urgent, yet tame. "There has been an incident inside the school district. Police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers. Head directly home. I repeat..."

"'Incident'?" An excited student questioned.

The student in question then ran out of the room, his friend in tow, while the girls speaking with Yu turned to each other. "What? Something actually happened?" she asked, puzzled by this while her friend sported an excited smile.

"Come on, let's go look!"

With that, they ran out, following the boys that ran out earlier. Sho raised an eyebrow at this, looking to where they left. "What's up with them?" he asked. "Something happens, and now they're like bloodhounds or something."

"Well, I guess very little happens out here in Inaba." Yu said as he stood up. "It is in the countryside."

"Heh. Ain't that the truth? When I first got here, I thought the town was dead."

"By the way," Izana tilted her head. "Earlier, the teacher said you were a transfer student."

"Yeah, my parents are working overseas, so I'm staying here for a year."

"A year?" Sho scoffed. "Here? In this dump?"

"Yeah. My parents move around a lot due to their work. So they drop me off to relatives within the area of that time."

"Oh?"

"My uncle and his daughter."

"Huh. Seems pretty troublesome, moving around a lot."

That was an understatement. It was the same thing, over and over, moving from one place to another. It was rather tiring... and exhausting. Just how many people had he mingled with, only to leave them behind?

Honestly? He had lost count after a dozen.

It made him feel numb.

"Well, I think I better get going." Yu said, slipping his notes into his bag. "I don't want to keep them waiting."

It was at that moment that Izana's face brightened red. "O-oh, um...!"

"Hm?" Yu turned to face her. "Was there something you needed?"

"U-um..." she fidgeted, glancing down at the ground with a massive blush on her cheeks. "W-would you..." Yu tilted his head while Sho raised an eyebrow. Izana took a deep breath, and finally spoke her words. "L-like to... WALK HOME WITH ME?!

Both males stared at the girl. Sho stared at her out of shock, while Yu stared at her in questioning.

"...come again?"

"She's asking if you want to walk home with her, Romeo." The silver-haired teen looked over his shoulder to see the girl that sat next to him, along with the girl in front of her, dressed in red. "Gotta say, you move fast." she joked before smiling. "Oh, I'm Chie Satonaka. Nice to meet you, stranger."

Yu nodded back. "You as well."

"My name is Yukiko Amagi. Nice to meet you." The red clad girl bowed.

"Hey, now..." Chie frowned at her friend. "Why are you being so formal? We're only just saying hi." She turned to Sho, who was still staring at Izana in shock. "You know, if you keep your mouth open any longer, you're gonna let flies in."

"Huh what? Meh, shut up."

"Would you mind if we walked home with you?" Yukiko asked politely. "That is, if we're not a bother."

Yu shook his head. "Not for me," he answered before turning to a still embarrassed look on Izana. "And sure. Where do you guys live?"

"We live in a small apartment near the end of town." Sho answered. "The landlady's a total bitch though."

"Maybe because you are an arrogant bastard that won't shut up?" Izana offered mockingly.

"Like your one to talk, freeloader!" the redhead retorted, snarling as he whirled around on his foot. "Whatever, I'm heading home! Have fun hanging out with these losers!" With that, he stomped away, leaving the classroom with an angry scowl. His attitude was off-putting for the group, especially to Yu, who frowned as he turned to Izana. The girl sighed, face-palming.

"Is he always like this?"

"More than you'd think..." she answered. "He's always like that. In all honesty, his significant other is much easier to deal with."

"Significant other? What do you mean?" Chie asked.

"He has another personality named Minazuki."

Yu raised an eyebrow at this, as did Chie. Yukiko, on the other hand, looked very interested, a twinkle appearing in her eye. "A split personality?"

"Heck if I know."

"That's... very weird." the girl in green confessed. "Still, your roommate's got some seriously balls to insult King Moron in front of the entire class."

"As long as I known him, that was just the type of person he is."

"Is that so?" the girl pondered for a short bit before nodding. "Well, anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the school year." She smiled. "Well, let's go-"

"Ah, um... M-miss Satonaka?"

"Huh?" The jacket wearing girl turned around, now facing a boy with a pair of headphones around his neck. He had a nervous expression on his face.

Yu immediately recognized the boy as the one who slammed into the telephone pole on his way here, having been riding unsteadily in the rain before crashing, junk first. It was a painful thing to witness, so he thought it was best to simply leave him be.

"Huh? What is it, Yosuke?" Chie asked.

The teen looked nervous, enough so that he packed his legs close together as he pulled something from his backpack. "T-this was... really awesome," he said shakily, holding it in his hands. "I-I mean... T-the way he moved was just... a-amazing to see... A-a-and..."

He instantly bowed his head, holding the DVD case in front of her.

"I'MREALLYSORRYITWASANACCIDENTJUSTPLEASEHAVEMERCYUNTILMYNEXTPAYCHECK!"

"...Huh?" Yu questioned. What did he just say? Yu and Izana were equally confused by his behavior.

Chie took the DVD case and Yosuke immediately turned tail and ran.

"Hey! What did you do to my DVD?!" She chased after him and swung her leg, ramming her foot into his tender area.

"GAAAH!"

Yu cringed and unconsciously shielded his vital area. That had to have hurt like hell. The brown haired male toppled over in a head. Chie glared at him as she opened her DVD case. Her face fell into horror as her mouth dropped. "I can't believe this!" she wailed. "It's completely cracked! My Trial of the Dragon!"

"M-mine's cracked too..." the male groaned, his hands resting on his damaged goods. "C-Critical hit to the nads!"

"...I feel sorry for him..." Yu mumbled. Izana stared on blankly.

"A-are you alright?" Yukiko asked, moving to help the boy, only to be stopped by her irritated friend.

"He's fine, Yukiko!" she growled as she placed her DVD in her schoolbag. "Let's just ditch him and go home!" She left no room for argument as she grabbed her friend by the wrist, and pulled her away. Yu sweat-dropped as he looked to Yosuke, who was still tending to his testicles.

He gave himself a brief nod. "I should leave him be," he said, leaving the classroom with Izana.

* * *

When they caught up to the two girls, they found a certain redhead waiting for them at the front gate. "I thought you said you were going on ahead," Izana remarked, a coy smile on her face. "What? Were you feeling lonely?"

Sho scowled. "Shut it, free loader."

"Is this going to be a common thing?" Chie questioned.

"...maybe," Yu answered.

But as they walked closer to the gate, the group noticed a shady looking teen standing by the entrance. The student was very creepy looking, dressed in an unfamiliar uniform. Personally, to both Sho and Yu, he was an oddball, having black, empty, fish like eyes, a mole underneath one of them, and a very eerie, if not twisted look on his face. "Y-your Yuki, right?" he stuttered, looking at Yukiko. "Y-you want to hang out somewhere?"

"What…? Wh-Who are you?" Yukiko asked apprehensively.

The others in the group could overhear the onlooking students behind them.

"What's up with him? What school's he from?" One asked.

"Never mind that, he's going for Yukiko-san? Man, you'd think he'd at least wait until she's alone to make his move." The other gossiper sounded mildly impressed.

"I bet you a can of TaP he gets knocked out."

"No bet. Haven't you heard how difficult the Amagi Challenge is? "

And the exchange continued.

"Um, s-so…are you coming or not?" The strange teen asked again, refocusing his attention to the matter at hand.

"I-I'm not going…" Yukiko shook her head. She wouldn't go with him. She didn't even know him.

"…Fine!" The stranger snapped before sunning off.

"…Geez. The hell was his problem?" Sho remarked. "The guy acted like someone pissed in his cereal or something."

"Wh-what did he want from me…?" Yukiko questioned in confusion from the ordeal.

"What did he want… Obviously, he was asking you out on a date." Chie answered.

"Huh? Really…?" The raven haired girl was surprised.

"You really had no clue? Sheesh…" Chie sighed. Sometimes she wondered why her best friend was so oblivious. "But then again, that was way over the top. It was creepy how he called you Yuki all of a sudden."

"Could it be a stalker?" Izana questioned.

"If so, should we have called the police?"

"Meh. Why bother? The dude's cleared several blocks by now. It's a waste of breath." Sho shrugged. Izana and Chie looked at him with raised eyebrows. Why was he so passive about this? Before they could voice their opinions, another person entered the scene.

"Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another lovelorn fool, huh?" Yosuke said as he pulled his rickety bicycle alongside him. "Man, you're cruel…You got me the same way last year."

Yu and Izana looked at him. He looked to be perfectly fine considering the damage Chie had done earlier.

"I don't recall doing that." Yukiko denied the statement.

"Who, you serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime?!" The cycling teen asked with hope filling his voice.

"…I'd rather not." The raven haired girl shot him down.

"That'll teach me to get my hopes up…" Yosuke muttered dejectedly. "Anyways, you two better not pick on the transfer students too much." With those last words, he hopped onto his bicycle and rode off.

"We're just curious, is all!" Chie yelled in his direction.

"Yeah, so curious that you don't mind your own damn business." Sho rebutted.

"Hey! We're just trying to get to know you guys!" Chie snapped back.

"Well who the hell asked you! It doesn't matter if it were just the free loader and old man, but why drag me into this?!" The red haired teen barked.

The two proceeded in their argument, causing Yu to sweatdrop, Izana to scoff in annoyance muttering "idiot", and Yukiko to look at them apologetically.

"U-Um, I'm sorry for dragging you into this…"

"It's fine. With this red haired idiot, it was expected something like this would happen." The silver haired girl sighed. As the argument between Sho and Chie continued, other students began to look on at the commotion.

"…We should probably go. Everyone is staring." Yu stated calmly. The other two girls agreed with him. Yukiko went first and dragged Chie away by the arm while Izana grabbed Sho by the ear and pulled him off campus, much to the red haired teen's agony. Yu calmly followed them.

So far…things had gotten interesting.

* * *

"Ah…so you came here because of your parents' job. Haha, I thought it was something way more serious." Chie smiled.

"Like what? That his parents' died and he was dropped off to live with his closest relatives? Sorry that's not the case. Though, it woulda been kinda cool if it was." Sho said as he nursed his red ear. Damn. Izana had a grip. Said girl whacked him over the head. "Ow! What the hell?!"

"Must you be so insensitive? I get you are an idiot, but you don't have to be that much of a jerk." She scoffed.

"Screw off!" Sho snapped.

' _She is right you know.'_ Minazuki quipped. _'That comment was uncalled for. Narukami-san already told him of his family circumstances. No need to rub salt on an open wound.'_

"Tch. Just shut up, Minazuki…" Sho muttered.

"Aaanyway…" Chie interjected, trying to divert from the increasingly awkward atmosphere. "There really is nothing here, huh? That's what makes it nice, but there is nothing much we can show to people from outside."

"Yeah, no shit." The red haired teen remarked. "What do you guys even have here?"

"There is Mt. Yasogami…I think our dyed clothes or pottery or something is kinda famous…" She responded.

"Huh? That's it? Man…it's no wonder that tourist visits have 'dyed' out." Sho smirked before laughing at his own joke. "Hahaha! Get it? Dyed? C'mon, that was grade-A material right there!"

No one was laughing. Not even Yukiko.

"…You will never be a comedian." Izana stated bluntly.

"Tch its just you guys have no sense of humor whatsoever!"

"Ignoring him…" The red eyed girl faced Chie and Yukiko. "Is there anything else here?"

"Oh yeah! There's the Amagi Inn! Yukiko's family runs it. It's the pride of Inaba!" Chie recalled.

"Huh? It's…just an old inn." Yukiko waved off the exaggeration.

"No way, it's been all sortsa magazines as a hidden treasure. It's a great inn! It's been going for generations, and Yukiko here is going to take over someday. Their inn actually attracts a lot of visitors to Inaba. It pretty much keeps this town going." Chie exclaimed proudly.

"…I don't think that's entirely true." The raven haired girl frowned. While Chie may not have noticed it, Izana and Yu noticed a slight change in her expression. It seemed a bit…downcast.

Chie then turned to look at Yu directly. "So, tell me. You think Yukiko's cute, huh?"

"That's rather hard to say." Yu replied.

"Oh, sorry. I really didn't mean to put you on the spot right in front of her." She apologized.

"It's alright." Yu accepted the apology. Izana on the other hand seemed satisfied with Yu's response. She did not know why…but she felt irked that Chie would ask him such a question.

"Come on…Don't start this again…" Yukiko requested in annoyance.

"She's really popular at school, but she's never had a boyfriend. Kinda weird, huh?" Chie continued.

"Maybe it's because she comes off as a cold person? Well, I guess she would be Snow Black. Get it? Cuz of her name?" Sho joked again.

Again no one laughed. "…Why do you even try?" Izana deadpanned.

"C-Come on, stop it." Yukiko begged. "Y-You shouldn't believe that, okay? It's not true that I'm popular or that I've never had a boyfriend…!" She then realized her slip of tongue. "Wait, n-no! What I meant was I-I don't need a boyfriend! Geez…Chie…"

Yu and Izana watched their interactions with mild interest. They must be really good friends to be like that. Something that the silver haired male was envious of. He wanted a friendship like that. But it doesn't seem to be likely for him in the future...

Sho on the other hand just ignored it. He really felt sickened by the sight. Good god, why in the hell were they acting so buddy-buddy for? Sure, they seemed like good "friends," but sooner or later, one of them was going to stab the other in the back. After all, it was what Ikutsuki did. That was all people were deep down; opportunistic bugs that leeched off each other. Minazuki agreed with this sentiment as well, clearly sickened by the memory of Sho's parental figure. He could tell that they were good friends, this Yukiko and Chie, but he also knew that sooner or later, something would change their so-called 'bonds.'

"Huh?" When Chie looked to the side, she found a group of people gathered around the intersection. There was a familiar white vehicle with flashing blue and red lights and yellow caution tape. "Hey, what's that?"

"Dunno." Sho shrugged. "Maybe someone finally died of the boredom in boresville?" He received a jab to the rib. "Ow!"

"Enough, idiot." Izana gave him a glare. "You're really annoying today. Why don't you and you're significant other trade places? He is much more tolerable and less talkative than you are."

The red-haired teen growled. "Why I oughta...!" Dammit! Why can't she just keep her big mouth shut?! It's annoying!

"So...should we go check it out?' Chie offered, trying to diffuse the argument before it happened. They were going to pass through the commotion to get home anyway.

Yu immediately agreed. The group then reached closer to the gathered group of people. 'Hm, a group of gossiping housewives.' Minazuki hummed. 'I suppose nowhere is complete without them.'

"So that high schooler left school early, and as she came down this street..."

"Wow, who could have imagined THAT hanging from an antenna?"

"I wanted to see it too!"

"Oh, you got here too late. The police and the fire department took it down just a moment ago!"

"Well, I think it's terrifying! I can't believe a dead body just showed up around here..."

Izana's eyes widened in alarm. "Wait, what did she just say?" she asked. "A dead body?!"

"Huh? What's the big deal about that?" Sho questioned. "I mean...people die all the time. What's the problem if it happens sooner than later?"

Yukiko frowned. "Sho-kun, that's cruel." she said, clearly in disapproval. "When someone dies, they leave people behind. It's a horrible thing."

The boy scoffed. "Whatever, princess." he said, uncaring of her opinion, before noticing a man at a garbage can, gripping the edges tightly as he vomited the contents of his stomach. "Yeesh, guess somebody can't handle a bit of gore."

"Adachi!" Yu's eyes widened when he saw his Uncle Dojima stomp over to the man, clearly aggravated. "How much longer do you want to act like a rookie?! You want to be sent back to the central office?! Huh!"

"S-sorry, sir...!" the man known as Adachi apologized. He was a young man with disheveled, messy black hair, wearing a blue jacket with a buttoned shirt and red tie and dress pants. His face slightly pale. "Hurk...!"

Dojima shook his head, running a hand down his face. "Go wash your face." he snapped. "We're going to go gather information."

"Y-Yes sir!" Adachi nodded.

"Good grief..." Dojima sighed before turning around. He then noticed his silver haired nephew and the other teenagers around him. "Yu? What are you doing here?"

"We were just passing by." he said before his eyes showed concern. "Did...something happen?"

The detective rubbed the back of his neck. "You could say that." he said. Yu could tell that he was tired, evident by the dark bags underneath his eyes. "That damned Principal. We told him not to let anyone through here." The PA announcement came to their minds. This must have been the incident that they were referring to.

Chie tilted her head. "You know this guy?"

"Mm. He's my uncle."

"My name is Dojima," the detective introduced himself. "His guardian. How should I put this... Well, I hope you get along with him." His eyes narrowed at them in concern for their well-being. "You kids should head on home, though." Izana nodded, shooting a glare at Sho, as if daring him to say something. The last thing she wanted was for the idiot to try and pick a fight with a police officer. Sho scoffed, turning away as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. Yu nodded as well, and bid his uncle farewell, watching the man walk away.

Chie's eyes stared at the ground, heavily disturbed. "Was this what that announcement about?"

"What did they mean..." Yukiko questioned, also disturbed, especially what she heard about the body. "It was hanging from an antenna?"

"Hey, Yukiko? Why don't we go to Junes some other time?" her friend asked. The black-haired girl nodded. She then turned to the three new students. "Alright then, we're taking off. Starting tomorrow, neighbors, let's do our best!" she smiled in spite of herself. Yu smiled and nodded back. "Oh, and Sho-kun? Try and think of better puns."

"HEY!"

"I agree with her." Yu stated.

"What?!"

"You sound like you're trying too hard to make puns."

"Screw you, Narukami!"

"They're right, you know." Izana deadpanned. "Hell, I think Minazuki could do better."

A tick mark burned over his forehead, twitching with anger. Dammit all, why the hell was everybody dissing his puns?! _'They are right, you know.'_ Minazuki chimed in. _'Your jokes are hardly comedy material.'_ Oh, that was NOT fair! Even Minazuki was siding with these guys?! Thankfully, to his pleasure, Chie and Yukiko said their goodbyes and left, thus leaving Yu with them.

"Sorry about all of this," Izana apologized. "And, um..." To Yu's confusion, her cheeks blushed heavily as she played around with the hem of her skirt. "S-sorry for being so selfish."

"It's fine." Yu said, smiling. "Besides, I haven't had the chance to explore Inaba yet, so it'll be like a tour."

Sho snorted. "Not much of a tour." he said. "This town's so small, it's not even funny."

Izana then proceeded to stomp on his foot, eliciting a flinch from the red haired male as sharp pain crawled up his leg.

"DAMMIT WOMAN! WOULD YOU STOP THAT?!"

* * *

 **. _..system corruption error detected..._**  
 _ **...diagnostic system booting...**_  
 _ **...abnormal enegery anomaly found...**_  
 _ **...unable to correct error...**_  
 _ **...system reboot initiated...**_  
 _ **...Plume of Dusk functioning...**_  
 _ **...memory core functioning...**_  
 _ **...soundwave system functioning...**_  
 _ **...all systems green...**_  
 _ **...system reboot complete.**_  
 **[BEGIN AWAKENING PROCESS]**

The screen turned black after those set of words appeared. A pair of eyelids twitched before fluttering open. The individual in question was confused. What was going on? Where were they? Those types of questions ran through their mind.

Of course, there was an even bigger question...

What on earth was the strange red creature staring back at them?

* * *

Teddie had been on edge ever since someone had fallen into his home. He had been by himself, minding his own business, all the while avoiding the monsters that were roaming around. They had been thrown into a tizzy after that poor woman fell inside. He tried to help, but the woman was so disoriented and frightened that she bolted away from him before he could try to help her. Not long after, the fog began to clear, and the monsters became aggravated. Needless to say, he was bolting the hell out of there.

Now, though, he was staring at what was in front of him with curiosity.

The person before him was sort of like the individual he encountered before. She was a young woman, even younger than the one previously. She had vibrant turquoise eyes and long turquoise hair that seemed to reach down to her feet if she stood up. She was also dressed in strange clothing. "Hrm..." he tilted his body to the side as he examined her with curiosity. She was leaning up against the steel beam behind her, eyes closed, and her hair framing her face. "Beeaaaaary strange..." He didn't understand this. First that woman, now her? Why were people being thrown into his home? Although, her smell was... odd. He couldn't really tell why, but she smelled metallic. As he examined her further, he found her fingers flinching, and her eyelids twitching. "Ooh! She's waking up!" Eventually, the girl opened her eyes, revealing aqua orbs. Teddie couldn't help but stare. He had never seen such beautiful eyes before. "Um..." he took a step back, figuring that he would be invading her private space. "Are you alright, miss?" The girl said nothing, looking around her surroundings before turning back to Teddie. She opened her mouth to speak-

"WhERe iS THiS pLaCE...?"

Teddie backpedaled in surprise. The girl's voice...it's not bad, per se...but it was definitely unusual. She sounds human like the woman...but her vocal patterns seem...a tad off...Like...there is a metallic tone in her voice.

"...huh?" Teddie blinked. "Um... Miss? Is your voice okay?"

The girl tilted her head. "MY vOiCe?" she questioned. "Is thERe sOmEtHiNG wRonG wITh mY vOIce?"

"N-No! Nothing at all! It's a lovely voice! Really!" The creatures waved its...hand...in front of its face. It was the truth though. Despite how unusual it sounded...the girl's voice had a melodious chime that seemed to stir feelings within him.

"AhH..." the girl nodded. "I sEE." She then tilted her head. "WhAT... aRE yOu, iF I mAy ASk?"

"Who, me?" Teddie asked. The girl nodded. "I'm Teddie! This place is my home."

"HoME?" The girl tilted her head in confusion. She then looked around, confused by the area around them. "WheRE iS THis...? It lOOks So StRanGE..."

Teddie couldn't help but feel a little indignant about that remark, clearly frowning. "Grr, that's not a nice thing to say, miss!"

The girl realized her mistake, and bowed her head. "Ah! PlEaSE fORgIve ME..." she said apologetically. "I dID nOt WiSH tO cOMe oUt TO bE sO rUdE."

The creature looked at her...and immediately felt guilty. He shouldn't have snapped at her like that. She was just asking a simple question. From what he knew...she really WAS a stranger to his home.

"No...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to yell at you miss..."

"Um, TEddiE-sAn..." the girl addressed him. He looked up at her with sad-looking glassy eyes. "MaY I aSK yOU sOMetHIng?"

"S-sure."

"HoW dID I ArrIVe hErE?"

"I...I don't really know..." Teddie shook his head. He really didn't. After the first woman got killed by the Shadows and whisked away from this world...he sensed her all of a sudden. Fearing for the demise of another, he went over to the girl's location.

He wasn't sure if she had just been dropped in here, or perhaps by another means. Either way, he couldn't leave her alone. "Do you remember how you ended up here?"

Sadly, the girl shook her head. "No... I cANnoT reCaLL aNyTHinG... I rEmEMbeR mY nAmE, tHOugH."

"O-oh, well, that's good at least!" Teddie smiled in relief. "So, what is your name, miss?"

The girl smiled. "I aM... Miku."

* * *

"Thank you for walking us home, Narukami-san." Izana bowed her head gratefully, a large smile across her face. "And once again, I'm sorry for my roommate's idiocy."

"Stop calling me that, freeloader!" Sho snapped. He was greeted to a swift kick in the shin.

"It's no trouble at all." Yu nodded, ignoring Sho's yelps of pain.

In truth, he was more than happy to walk her home. Given the way things were right now, with word of murder on the streets, he wasn't about to let her walk home all alone, even if Sho was with her. while the redhead looked more than capable, he wasn't going to let her be put in danger. Besides, he wanted to spend time with her as well, depsite how illogical it seemed.

"So, this is where you live?" he asked, looking at the apartment complex. "Looks a bit small."

"Eh, maybe." Sho shrugged, all the while keeping an eye on Izana. "But, hey, least we've got some room, a TV, and a kitchen."

"And yet all you eat is instant crap." Izana snarked. "Seriously."

"Hey! They're easy to make and tasty! That's good enough for me!"

"You should consider adding more nutrition in your diet, Sho-san." Yu said. "You're going to stunt your growth if you keep eating instant foods."

 _'I concur.'_ Minazuki chimed in.

Sho, in response, face-faulted. "Okay, you know what?!" he snarled angrily as he whirled around, marching up the stairs. "Screw you bastards!" He trudged all the way up the second floor, reaching to his apartment door, practically throwing it open and slamming it behind him. The two sweatdropped, but shrugged.

"He's rather lively." Yu commented before turning. "Anyway, I better get back. Nanako-chan is probably home alone."

Izana tilted her head. "Nanako-chan?"

"My cousin." he answered. "She's still in elementary school."

"Ah, I see..." Izana nodded, not knowing why she felt relieved by this fact.

"Well, I need to go." he said, much to her displeasure, only for her heart to beat rapidly when he smiled. "See you tomorrow, Miokami-san." With a bow, he left. The girl stared at his back as he walked away, leaving her with a sense of loneliness. A pout formed on her face before she sighed.

"I wish he called me by my first name..."

* * *

As Yu had expected, he had found Nanako sitting at the table in the living room, watching TV. Her face was set into an impassive stare before she noticed her older cousin entering, closing the door behind him. "Hello," she greeted respectfully. "How was you're first day at school?"

Yu shrugged, smiling wryly. "It was... interesting." It was truth. In the first day, he got to meet many people. Not to mention the event at the shopping district. But most of all...she got to meet the girl named Izana. He was genuinely surprised, as no one had requested him of such a thing for years.

He put his school supplies in his room, and then returned to the living room, joining Nanako for dinner. They simply sat and ate in silence while the TV blared. He took a look at Nanako, seeing her obviously distracted and saddened face. She was obviously hoping her father would return, but given what he had learned, he knew that would not be happening anytime soon. She understood the significance of his job as well, as she sighed in discomfort. "Dad's not coming home tonight, is he?"

Yu remained silent, unsure how to respond. But she was right. Due to the events from earlier, it was most likely that his uncle was going to take a while at the police station. Knowing this, the best he could do was be there for Nanako. "Don't worry...I'm here."

Nanako smiled at this, giving him a grateful nod. Suddenly, the TV began to play the news.

"Our top story this evening concerns a bizarre case in a quiet suburb." The announcer reported. "Around noon today, a woman was found dead near the Samegawa River in Inaba." Yu's eyes widened in alarm. The School Zone was then shown on TV, displaying the scene of the incident. 'So it was the incident.' "The victim is reported to be one Ms. Mayumi Yamano, who was involved in an affair with former Council Secretary Taro Namatame."

Yu recognized the names mentioned. He had heard about the affair story before he arrived in town. But honestly, he wasn't really one for stories like this. People take one event happening and blow it out of proportion.

"The initial results of the Inaba Police Department's investigation have revealed..." At the mention of this, Nanako jumped out of her seat.

"Ah! The Inaba Police Department! Th-That's where Dad works!" She then grew silent...letting the realization sink in. Yu saw her expression change.

"It will be alright." He tried to give her words of encouragement. Nanako nodded.

"...I know. That's his job, so this stuff happens."

* * *

"...man, this is more tedious than we thought." Adachi commented as he walked over to his partner and superior with a tired look on his

"I know...that in itself is troubling." Dojima nodded in agreement. They had canvased the area as best as they could, but in the end, they received only a handful of information. The only one that was even remotely useful was that high school girl from the liquor store, as she was the eye witness. "Saki Konishi..." Dojima muttered the name. "She's a third year at Yasogami High, and she was also the one who discovered the body." Despite the heavy rain, the man flicked open his lighter, lighting up the cigarette in his mouth. "She left school early, and found the body hanging from atop a resident's antenna. Not only that, but the victim was the mistress of the former Council Secretary."

"You think Misuzu Hiragii or Namatame might have done it?" Adachi asked.

"No, neither of them was responsible." the detective shook his head. "Hiragii was overseas, and Namatame was in his office around the estimated time of death, according to his workers." A troubled frown settled over his face as he scratched the back of his head. "And we still don't have a cause of death, either..."

"Oh..." Adachi stated. He thought he was onto something there...but those theories were out the window now.

Dojima frowned further. He was also concerned about this murder, due to the fact that the murder occurred the same day Yu had arrived. He wished to right it off as convenience, but there was something bothering him. "Wait," Adachi spoke up, suddenly recalling an important detail, an excited grin on his face. "Wouldn't Asamiya Amagi count as a suspect? From what we investigated, she has plenty of motive herself, given that Ms. Yamano had some major complaints about the staff during her stay at the Amagi Inn."

"True..." Dojima hummed. "From what we understand, she was trying to get away from the pressure of the media." He then turned to Adachi. "Also, Adachi... You sure you don't remember anything suspicious about when she disappeared?" His eyes narrowed. "I swear, if you were goofing up on the job..."

Immediately, his lackey panicked, holding up his hands in defense. "W-whoa, hold on there, Dojima-san!" he said, backing away. "I swear, I didn't see or hear anything while I was looking after Ms. Yamano! I checked to make sure she was in her room, safe and sound, and even checked around the inn! There wasn't anything suspicious!"

Dojima stared at him critically for several moment...then he released a sigh. Adachi may be a bumbling idiot of a detective, but he knew when to do his job properly...even if he did goof off often. "...I see..."

Adachi, seeing he was in the clear, sighed in relief. Of course, despite saying that, he still felt something in the back of his mind nagging away at him, like there was something wrong. As if there was a part of him that hadn't agreed with that assessment, a small accusing voice in the back of his mind, but he ignored it. He shrugged it off to him being worked dog-tired by his superior. Dojima may not look it, but he was a hardcore cop, through and through. He was a really strict partner as well, always making sure he did his job or something along those lines. Needless to say, he ran the poor man ragged, but Adachi couldn't help but admire Dojima for that.

Still, though... He couldn't understand that nagging feeling, as it had returned when he caught sight of those group of teenagers Dojima was speaking with. From what he learned, the silver-haired kid was his nephew. He didn't understand why, but he felt a great feeling of aggravation upon seeing him. He didn't even know why he felt that. He had never seen the boy before then. Adachi just chalked that one up to the stress of the situation. After all, finding a dead body like this was all new to him...well that and from the fact he vomited upon seeing the corpse... His mind also raced back to the girl beside Dojima's cousin. The girl with silver hair. He had no idea why but he couldn't help but feel...remorse of some sort. And longing.

"Oi, Adachi!" Dojima snapped, causing him to return to reality. "C'mon, get the lead out! We're heading back!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

* * *

The events of yesterday had come and gone, leaving Yu to resume his new daily routine. He had memorized the way to school that Nanako had showed him, though much to his surprise, as he walked, he came across the sight of a student with a familiar mass of red hair.

"Sho-san?" he called out. Sure enough, the student turned to reveal the menacing and imposing face of Sho Minazuki, the boy he met earlier. "Ah, it is you."

"Well, duh." the boy snarked. "Who else, old man?"

"Is Miokami-san not with you?"

"Nah, she took off ahead of me." he shrugged. "Not like I give a damn. The sooner I get away from the freeloader, the better. Seriously!" A scowl was present on his face as he ranted about his roommate. "I swear, she's like my damned mother!"

"I think she's acting that way because she is concerned about you." Yu voiced his thoughts.

"Huh? Why the hell does she give a damn about me? I never asked for that." He scoffed.

Yu frowned heavily. Why was Sho being so closed off? Sure, he was in an environment that meant he would be surrounded by other people for the majority of his teenage life, but even he wasn't this bad. He didn't get to know people too well, but he kept them within arm's length. Sho, however, was clearly doing his best to avoid connection with people altogether. But, why was that? Did it possibly have something to do with the scar on his face? Before he could ask Sho about this, however, a familiar figure shot past him, riding a yellow bike.

A second later, a crash echoed. The two turned, and found the student, now trapped inside a trashcan, rolling around on the ground in his attempts to escape. "S-someone!"

A second passed. Two, then three. Finally, Sho cracked a grin. "Well, well, well~ Looks like someone got 'trashed'~!" he snickered at his own joke while Yu groaned.

"Really, Sho-san? Just really?" he questioned before he moved over to the flailing student. He grabbed hold of the garbage can and removed it, allowing the teen to breath in relief.

"Whew!" the headphone-wearing boy sighed. "Thanks!"

Sho raised an eyebrow, seemingly recognizing the student in front of him before he remembered. "Hey, wait a second..." He said in realization. "Weren't you the guy that Satonaka chick hit in the balls?"

"Y-Yeah...that's right..." The boy sighed in dejection. He then remembered something. "Oh yeah, that's right. You two are those transfer students..." He pointed at Yu. "Yu Narukami and..." He then turned to Sho. "...Sho Minazuki, right? I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Nice to meet you guys."

Yu nodded back. "Nice to meet you too."

"So," Sho grinned. "You're bike okay?"

"Meh, sorta. I mean, it's kinda rickety, but it's still in one piece." Yosuke replied as he examined his bike. It took Yosuke a moment to realize what Sho had asked, and his face contorted with disbelief. "Wait, my bike?! What about me?!"

"Meh. You're still talking like this. So you'll live." Sho shrugged nonchalantly.

"Geez, thanks..." Yosuke sighed. "Oh, by the way, did you guys hear about the incident yesterday? They found that news lady hanging from on top of an antenna!" The boy shivered. "Do you think it was some kind of message, or warning from the culprit? Either way, dangling a dead body on someone's roof? That's messed up. Then again, it's even more messed up to kill someone in the first place."

 _'Not really, depending on what the reason behind it is...'_ Sho mentally stated.

Yosuke then looked at his watch and realized something. "Oh crap, we're late! You want a ride?" he offered. "It's a little squeaky, but it should be fine!"

Yu mentally sweat-dropped, recalling the event where Yosuke crashed into a telephone poll, and the second just now. Needless to say, the idea was hardly tempting. That, and... he really didn't want to realize how awkward it would be for a guy to sit and hold on tight to a guy on a bicycle. Sho scoffed at this, waving his hand. "No thanks, loser." he said. "I can get there just fine!" With that, he took off in a run. To their surprise, in just a few seconds, he was already making headway.

 _'Holy shit that dude runs fast!'_ Yosuke thought in amazement. _'He could win the Olympics with that kind of speed!'_

"We should probably start moving." Yu prompted, inwardly impressed at how fast Sho was able to run.

* * *

 _"...you are an ocean of waves~ Destined to seek the life beyond the shore just out of reach~ Yet may the path ever change~ Flowing like time~ The path is yours to climb..."_

Teddie sat there, letting his body sway to the heavenly melody that is Miku's voice. The girl was a marvelous singer...her voice is like that of an Angel's...her words are so soothing and enraptured his very soul. Eventually, Miku stopped her singing, yet the smile that had spread across her face had yet to vanish. The bear erupted into applause. "Wowza~! That was great, Miku-chan!" Teddie told her exuberantly. "You're a really good singer!"

"ReALly? THanK yOU sO MuCh~" The teal haired girl grinned exuberantly.

The girl was happy she was able to make a smile spread across Teddie's face... actually, she wondered what exactly he was. His form was so odd to her, and his presence familiar, but seeing that smile was more than enough for her. She was surprised to have several sons apparently memorized into her archives. The one she had just finished was a song titled "Lost in Thoughts, All Alone." She found the lyrics and tone to be quite soothing.

"You have such a heavenly voice, too!" Teddie added. "Although, I do wonder why you talk so funky-like, but can sing like an angel." It was true. Through out her entire song, her voice was without that wonky, strange distorted tone. "Hrm... Maybe that's also apart of this 'amnesia' thing?"

"MaYBe." Miku shook her head. "AlL I am AWaRe oF Is ThAT I HaVe SeVEraL sONgS mEmOrIzEd."

"Really? That's amazing!" Teddie said in awe. "You must be very smart to do such a thing, Miku-chan!"

"YEs!" the green-haired girl nodded before a sad expression fell across her face. "HoWEver... I wIsH I STilL hAD mY MemORiEs."

That had been the thing that had concerned the both of them. Miku had no idea how she ended up Teddie's home, nor any explanation why she ended up there in the first place. The only things she could properly remember was the songs she knew, and her name.

 _6th Generation Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon Miku._

It was a very long name, so she settled for Miku instead. She didn't know why she was even given such a name, but she didn't question it. At least she knew where she was. And even more fortunate that she met someone like Teddie. The bear had promised her that he would help her find those lost memories, which definitely warmed her heart. She was glad...She was glad to have a friend in this ordeal.

"Hey, Miku-chan?" Teddie said. "Can you sing another song?"

Miku smiled as she nodded. She closed her eyes as she thought of a song she would sing. Eventually, she decided, and opened her eyes, clasping her hands together, and opened her mouth.

 _"We are living our lives...~ Abound with so much information...~"_

* * *

"...okay, seriously." Sho shook his head. "What in the holy hell is wrong with the teachers here? King Moron is one thing, but... What the hell was that chick doing wearing a freaking mummy getup?!"

"That's Ms. Sofue for ya." Yosuke chuckled. "If you haven't figured it out already, she's a massive history nut. She loves Egyptian history too, if the headgear wasn't a clear clue. I hear she also has a cousin who's a hardcore Edo nut and wears a Samurai helmet who teaches history class too."

The red-haired student groaned. "Great, what's next? The freaking PE teacher is an English nut?"

"Well..."

"...He is, isn't he?" Sho deadpanned.

 _'Your abilities of prediction are astounding.'_ Minazuki quipped. He would have snapped back at him, were they not in class. "So, how are you two getting used to this place?" Yosuke asked.

"pretty well, actually." Yu stated. Despite what happened yesterday, he seemed to have gotten used to the pace of the town.

"Wow, that was fast." Yosuke chuckled. "There really isn't much to do here in Inaba, is there?" Sho nodded in agreement. That was an understatement of the century. "There's just not that special something you can't anywhere else. Oh, and speaking of special something, do you know what the local delicasy is?"

"Let me guess," the red-head drawled. "Ramen."

"Close." the headphone-wearing teen said. "It's grilled steak! Not like that's anything special, huh? I know a place where you can get it cheap, if you want some."

Yu's eyes widened. Wait, was Yosuke offering to take him out? "I wouldn't want to be imposing." he said, though Yosuke wouldn't have any of it.

"Trust me, man. It's fine! Besides, you and Sho helped me out, so this one is on me."

Sho grinned. "Well, so long as your paying, fine by me~" Not a second later did he suddenly wince in pain, rubbing the back of his head. "Ow!" he yelped before glaring at the reason behind the aching pain in the back of his head. "What is it with you and physically abusing me?! Are you some kind of sadist?!"

"No." Izana shrugged, holding her school bag in her hand. "I'm just annoyed with the fact that you're mooching off of someone." A smirk formed across her face. "Who's the freeloader now?"

"Shut up! He's the one whose offering. I'm just graciously accepting!"

"Hey, it's fine." Yosuke shrugged his shoulders. "You're Izana Miokami, right? The name's Yosuke. Nice to meet you."

"Yeah, whatever." the girl waved him off, much to his dismay, before turning to Yu. "So, how was your second day, Narukami-san?"

"Fairly well, I suppose." Yu replied back as he packed his things. "Although, I can't say I'm not looking forward to Mooroka-sensei's classes." Upon this subject, he turned to Sho, was was leaning against his seat. "Speaking of which, you're the talk of the whole school for outright insulting him to his face in front of the whole class."

"And why the hell wouldn't I? The guys an asshole! No wonder people call him King Moron!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Yosuke sighed. "When I transferred here, guy gave me shit all the time."

Yu's eyes widened. "Wait, you transferred here to Inaba too, Yosuke?"

"Yeah, but it was close to the end of the year." he explained. "I moved here about six months ago with my family." He jabbed his finger at the tall building, which was slightly visible due to them being on the second floor. "You see that building? My dad's the manager. It's practically the whole reason behind the move." The boy sighed again. "Although, Junes has brought a lot of trouble to me, since it's been putting the stores in the shopping district out of business."

 _'Ah,'_ Minazuki said in understanding. _'So that explains why so few shops are open. Junes has beaten them out by attracting more customers. It's understandable, as it is a mega supermarket, after all.'_

"Although..." Yosuke grinned. "While Sho's the talk of the school, I think you're the more popular one, Narukami."

"Huh? Why?"

"How about the fact that you and Miokami-san are dating after the first day of school?"

Instantly, the two afformentioned teens felt their cheeks burn, and their faces turn bright red. "W-We are...?" Yu questioned. When did THAT happen?

"Well, Miokami-san DID ask you to walk her home." Yosuke teased. "Hell, you could practically hear her from the Shopping District." Izana's face reddened further. They could hear all of that? W-well, she supposed she was being a bit loud, but even still! How did they get the idea of them dating?! ...N-not that she minded that! Oh no, far from it! She would have liked to be with him, b-but she would like to know him better first!

Sho, however, was laughing hysterically. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...! Oh man! That's rich! They-They all think you're dating be-because Miokami a-asked Narukami out! AHAHAHAHA!"

Izana's face erupted into a look of anger. "S-shut up, Sho!" she shouted. "Stop laughing!" However, the red haired teen refused to stop. As a result, Izana took an eraser, the oversized one used for Big Mistakes, and stuffed it into Sho's open mouth. "HRGHK?!" Sho finally stopped laughing, now choking on a ridiculously large eraser. Yosuke and Yu stared at Izana, who was still miffed about the ordeal.

"...wow," Yosuke remarked, now slightly terrified of incuring her wrath. "She's a live wire."

"Y-yeah..." Yu nodded in agreement.

"S-so, um, you want to go out and eat? I wasn't kidding about the cheap steak."

"Are you sure? I mean, I wouldn't want to impose."

Yosuke couldn't help but laugh. "Dude, seriously, it's fine!"

"And what about me, huh?" A familiar voice called out, slightly venomous. "No apologies?" Yosuke stiffened and slowly turned around. He paled upon seeing the aggravated form of Chie Satonaka. "You still owe me for my Trial of the Dragon." She reminded.

"H-hey, I said I would pay you back!" Yosuke defended himself.

"How about it, Yukiko?" Chie turned to the black-haired girl. "Don't you think he should treat us too?" Yosuke paled at this. Because of the bonus in his paycheck, he thought he would be able to pay Sho and Yu back for helping him out earlier with the trash can thing and all, and maybe Izana if he stretched it, but Chie and Yukiko were another story. He wasn't worried about Yukiko, as he assumed she would be a light eater, but Chie was a meat carnivor of epic proportions. He would never be able to afford the amount of food she put into her stomach!

Thankfully, the gods were smiling down upon him as Yukiko shook her head. "I'll pass." she declined respectfully. "I don't want to gain anymore weight. Besides, I need to help out back at the inn, anyways."

"Wow, Yukiko-san! You started training to take over the business?" Yosuke asked, amazed by her response.

"It's not like that! I'm just helping out when it gets busy." Yukiko waved off the thought. "Well, I should be on my way." With a bow, she left the classroom.

Chie pouted slightly at the prospect of her friend being unable to attend, but shrugged her shoulders and smiled evilly at Yosuke. "Well, we should get going to!"

"What?! Do I seriously have to treat FOUR people?!"

* * *

"...THIS is the cheap place you were talking about?! They don't serve grilled stake here!"

"Well, when you decided to hop on the freeloader train, I had to change my plans." Yosuke rebutted as he set down trays of Takoyaki before everyone. Rather than going to the place that served steak, Yosuke took everyone to the Junes Food Court. Since he couldn't afford steak for four people, he settled on treating them to Takoyaki instead.

"Still," Chie growled. "That's no reason for you to take us to your place! I had my palette set on some serious meat!"

"Hey," Yosuke took offence to that remark, frowning. "It's not like this is my place or anything."

He then turned to Yu, Izana, and Sho, who already took a few bites out of his takoyaki set. "Anyway..." He picked up his drink. "Here, this is to welcome you guys to town." Yu ad Izana picked up their beverages. "Satonaka, yours is on me too."

"Yeah. I know." Chie raised her drink as well. The group then raised their drinks, and performed a toast. Sho just ignored it all as he continued to eat. "It's only been half a year since this place opened up, but I haven't been to the local Shopping District much since." Chie said as the conversation became animated over small talk. "A lot of stores there starting closing, and..." She trailed off, wincing as she remembered that particular subject was a rather sore topic for Yosuke, being the brunt of the accusing glares of the residents of Inaba. "Oh, uh..."

Yosuke sighed. "...you can't blame it all on Junes, can you?" he said before shaking his head again. Izana cocked her head curiously at this reaction before the teen turned his head, seeing a girl with thick, wavy, long light brown hair, wearing what she assumed to be the workers uniform. His eyes widened in recognition. "Hey, that's Saki-senpai!" he grinned widely as he shot up from his seat. "Saki-senpai! Hey!"

The transfer students were curious about his change of behavior...well, Yu and Izana were. Sho just gave him a brief glance before resuming to eat.

"Who is she?" Yu asked first.

"Mahje hrish ghirfrieh or sohthun!" Sho said.

Izana glared at him. "Don't talk with your mouth full!"

The girl called Saki noticed Yosuke calling out to her, and gave a worn smile as she went over to them. "Oh, hey, Hana-chan." she greeted. "Advertising Junes to your friends?"

"Ouch," he said in mock hurt. "Madam, you wound me!" He laughed afterwards. "Kidding aside, no. Just treating 'em. So, you finally on break?"

"Yeah..." She nodded.

"Are you feeling okay?" Yosuke asked in concern.

"...It's nothing. I'm just a little tired." She shook her head.

"Hey, if you need to talk, I'm always willing to listen. I..." He tried to offer.

"I'm okay. Thanks, though." Saki chuckled in appreciation. Though, she turned her head in slight aggravation. "Why did I leave school early..." she mumbled, recalling the hassle it caused her. Yosuke was confused by this, but didn't ask about it. Saki then took notice of the three newcomers of the school, and smiled. "Oh, are you three the transfer students?" she asked.

"Hai." Yu nodded. "I'm Yu Narukami. This is Izana, and Sho."

The silver-haired girl bowed her head. "How do you do?"

Sho simply ignored her and continued to eat his takoyaki. Saki seemed to recognize him by the scar, and giggled. "Aren't you the boy that insulted Mooroka-sensei in front of the entire class?" she asked, receiving a nod from Yosuke and Chie. "Everyone in the third year class has been asking about you. Still, that's a pretty cool scar you have there."

"Hn..." Sho grunted in response. While he admits to insulting King Moron, the scar was a touchy subject for him.

"Anyway, I hope you guys have gotten along with Hana-chan well." Saki said as he looked at the group. "He can be pretty annoying at times. If he gets on your nerves, just tell him that to his face."

Yosuke's face reddened. "H-hey, that's-!"

"No, not really." Yu shook his head. "He's a really great guy."

Izana smirked. "Yeah, he's pretty annoying."

"Yeah. He's irritating." Sho added.

"All right, break it up...You're kinda getting on my nerves." Yosuke said in annoyance. But he was relieved that Yu thought he was great, at least.

"Well, my break's just about over. Back to work I go..." Saki announced. "Laters." She walked off from the group.

"Oh, s-senpai!" It was too late. She was already gone. Yosuke sighed, flopping back down on his chair. "Ah, damn... I was going to ask her if she was doing okay." Seeing Yu's frown, Yosuke elaborated. "Saki-senpai is working here to help out her family. They run a liquor store down at the Shopping District, but ever since Junes showed up, business has been declining." Disgust formed over his features. "And a lot of people are pissed just because Saki-senpai is working here, even though they don't know the reason."

"That sounds rough..."

"Yeah," the teen nodded. "But, it isn't all bad. I try to do what I can to help lighten the load." Then he chuckled. "Plus, she thinks I'm annoying, but she's nosier than me. She treats me like her younger brother, Naoki."

"Ohhh, you don't want her treating you like a brother, huh?" Chie realized his true intentions. "Haha, I get it...So that's how it is. The daughter of a local family-run liquor store and the scion of the invading chain...Hoho, the flame of forbidden love!"

"Wha-?! Dude, it's not like that." Yosuke denied it, despite blushing.

"Oh reaaaally...Well, I know just the thing to cheer up that lovesick heart." Chie grinned.

"You ever hear of Mayonaka TV?"

 **-Episode 2: END-**

Preview!

Yosuke: Dude, what the hell is this?!

Teddie: That's what I wanna know! Who are you guys?!

Miku: ...ShADowS dEtEcTeD.

?: I art thou... Thou art I...

Yu: Per...

?: Thou art the one... Who opens the door...

Yu: So...

?: Open thin eyes... and call forth what is within!

Yu: Na!

Minazuki: Very well, then... Let us begin. I will show you insects the meaning of despair!

Next Scent! Awakening


	4. Chapter 4

_Episode 3: Mayonaka TV_

* * *

The rain pelted down outside heavily, thunder booming at random intervals. With only the sound of the clock ticking, and the rain hitting the window creating any sort of sound, Yu found the atmosphere to be slightly eerie, especially with the lights in his room being off. The TV was also off, due to the story that Chie had told him back in Junes.

"If you stare into a turned-off TV, alone, exactly on midnight on a rainy night, the TV will turn on by itself, and show someone on the screen. They say that person is your soulmate."

Personally speaking, Yu didn't believe any of it, but curiosity had gotten the best of him. He sat on the TV, waiting for the screen to turn on. "Why am I even doing this...?" he muttered to himself. "I mean, it isn't as if it's real, right?"

Strangely, however, something inside of him stirred, as if to disagree with him. He had no idea why...but he felt compelled to see this through...to see this phenomenon with his own eyes. So there he was. Staring at the blank television screen as the clock approached midnight. He sighed again, and stood up, moving over, and stood in front of the TV. His eyes glanced at the clock.

11:59.

"Only a few more seconds..."

The second hand ticked a few more times. Soon, all three hands had struck twelve. Yu placed his attention on the screen.

The screen remained blank.

"...heh," he smiled as he turned away. "Of course nothing would happen." What did he think was going to happen? That someone he would fall in love with would suddenly appear on the screen by magic? As if. However, just as he was about to go to the futon that was laid out for him, he suddenly heard the screen's speaker spark with static, and the screen flickering to life. He looked over his shoulder, and found the TV screen lit up with a yellow haze.

"..." Yu was left utterly speechless. You had to be kidding... This Mayonaka TV thing was real?! "...I haven't even plugged it in yet..." he muttered as he stared at the screen. It flickered haphazardly, sparking wildly before it showed the shrouded, mysterious figure of a black silhouette. He could vaguely tell it was a woman, and that they were wearing the Yasogami High uniform, evident by the skirt. He frowned heavily, trying to discern who it was, but the screen was blurry. He wasn't able to properly see their face. "Who is that?"

 ** _'...I am thou...'_**

"W-what the?!" The teen suddenly helped, taking a staggering step back as his head ached in pain. He cradled his skull in his palm, the pain eventually spreading to the back of his mind. He gritted his teeth. It felt as if something was stabbing at his brain from the inside out. "Nrgh...!"

 ** _'Thou art I..."_**

"W-who...is this?!"

 ** _'Thou art the one...who opens the door...'_**

The voice had fallen quiet, and another strike of thunder boomed. The pain began to cease, leaving Yu to fall to the floor on his knee, panting heavily as cold sweat caked his face. His breath was ragged, and his body felt sore, as if he had just ran a marathon. "Wh-what in the hell..." he gasped for air. "Was that...?" He lifted his head to look at the screen, just in time for the image to fade out into black. The screen remained still and silent, as if the program from before didn't even happen. He stood back up to his feet, still shaky after what happened. He wasn't sure what that was all about, and frankly, he wasn't even sure what it was even about. However, his eyes trained on the black screen. Something about it just seemed to feel...off. He stepped closer to it, and tapped the screen with his finger. As soon as the tip touched the screen, a white ripple danced around the screen, causing his hand to recoil. 'What the hell?' As the ripples faded, an odd, yet dreadful idea came to him. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and pressed his palm against the screen.

It fell straight through the glass, as if it were water.

* * *

"...ArA? TeDdIe-SaN, wHAt Is thAt?"

"Hm? What do you mean, Miku-chan?" The large bear asked. The turquoise haired girl pointed her finger.

"ThAT oVEr tHerE." Teddie followed the direction she was pointing, and tilted his head in confusion. It looked like a lone arm flailing in midair. Was it a Shadow? Teddie, curious, observed it. It didn't smell like a Shadow, yet it was also groping away, with the fingers curling away as if trying to grab something. "I dunno," he answered, scratching his head. "But it's so weird."

Miku studied it with a strange fascination, noticing the white ring around it, where the elbow would be. 'Does this belong to someone?' she wondered. 'If so...'

She grabbed the arm by the wrist, and pulled.

* * *

"WHOA!" Yu nearly fell straight into the TV, his feet bracing themselves as he pushed on the stand, and gripping the TV tightly with his free hand, feeling something pulling on him. "What the?!" This sensation...was something pull him in? It felt as if a hand grabbed him by the wrist and was yanking him further into the screen. The unknown force gave another yank, forcing him to lose his grip on the TV, forcing his head and shoulder to fall into the rippling screen.

"MNRGH?!"

For a brief moment, Yu felt as if he had just been dunked in water. Due to the small size of the screen, only his arm and head could fit, while the rest of him proved to be too large. The force was continuing to pull him inside, but he struggled against it. He gritted his teeth, mustered his strength, and rammed his foot against the stand, and pulled back. The force lost it's grip over him, and he pulled his head out. Unfortunately, as soon as he did, he lost his balance, and fell backwards, hitting the back of his head against the table behind him.

CLUNK!

The sound of bone hitting wood resounded throughout the room. Yu gripped his head as the back of his head throbbed. "Dammit..." He muttered through gritted teeth. He then heard knocking from the door.

"Are you alright?" Nanako asked in concern.

"Y-yeah..." he said. "Did I wake you up?"

"I heard a loud noise." the small girl replied. "W-well...goodnight." He then heard the girl retreat, evident by the fading footstetps. Yu then turned his attention back to the TV, staring at with utter confusion. "What in the world... was that?"

* * *

"...okay, I'll bite." Sho remarked. "What the fuck was that all about?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Izana shook her head. Both had finished watching the Midnight Channel that Chie urged them to check out earlier. Needless to say, they were both confused. Izana had been thoroughly befuddled by the whole premise of it. A show that appeared on Midnight that displayed one's soulmate? Clearly it was nothing but superstition until tonight. However, what it displayed was anything but a revelation between them, as it showed the same person; a woman in a school uniform.

Internally, Izana was disappointed that it wasn't Yu who had appeared on the screen. But it also confused her, as Sho had claimed to have seen the same thing as well. Did that mean they had the same soul mate? Impossible.

Regardless, they knew that Chie would also wish to discuss this with them, so they had decided to go to bed. As they did, however, Izana felt the nagging feeling in the back of her mind grow infuriated. Just what was she missing? Why did this seem so off to her? And...why did that girl look so suspiciously like Saki Konishi?

* * *

 _"...welcome, to the Velvet Room."_

Yu opened his eyes. Everything within his field of vision was, for lack of a better description, blue. The curtains, the table in front of him, the furniture...everything was colored blue. He appeared to be in what looked to be some sort of limosuine, as traveling around had more than given Yu a look at what the insides of a luxurious car looked like. However, he noticed the pale white fog that shrouded the windows, as well as the fact that he was sitting in a chair, rather than the luxurious couches. Even stranger still was him even here at all. Why was here? Moreover, where were they going?

"My," the voice continued with an eerie tone. "It seems we have a guest with a most intriguing destiny." He looked straight ahead, and his eyes widened at what he saw. It was an elderly man dressed in a formal black suit with white gloves. His frame was thin, and he was hunched over. He had a receding hairline with messy gray hair. His eyes were large and sharp. But what stood out the most was his nose. It was long, easily the length of the average person's hand, beginning from the wrist to ending at the index finger. His hands were folded, and his chin rested atop them. Beside him was a woman of unearthly beauty, her face like that of an ice sculpture, possessing platinum blonde hair that fell to her shoulders, held in place by a velvet blue headband, and wore an outfit that matched the color of the room, with a thick black book sitting atop her lap.

"My name is Igor," the old man introduced himself. "I am delighted to make your acquaintance." Yu could only stare back at the man in utter confusion, though the old man either ignored this, or simply did not recognize it. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract may enter." The strange, manic yet also serene and calm grin seemed to grow. "It would seem that such a fate awaits you, in the near future."

"W-what?" Yu gasped at last, realizing that he had yet to actually breathe properly. "Who? What?"

"You may relax..." the one known as Igor stated calmly. "You are fast asleep in the waking world."

 _'Asleep?'_ Yu wondered. _'This is...a dream?'_ It was only now that he noticed the calm and soothing music in the background. It seemed to be an opera, though the melodious piano and the woman's voice created a wonderful, calming, and serene atmosphere. He couldn't help but feel more relaxed, feeling his body weigh comfortably in the chair.

"Now then... Why don't you introduce yourself?"

The silver-haired teen paused. For some reason, he had trouble recalling his name, yet he answered with ease, "...Yu Narukami."

"Splendid." The man grinned. He then materialized a deck of cards. "Do you believe in fortune telling?" The teen shook his head as he watched the old man spread the cards out, forming five rows of cards. "Each reading is done with the same cards," Igor explained. "Yet the result is always different. Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" He then took the card farthest from him, and closest to the woman, flipping it to reveal a card bearing a crumbling tower, a thunderbolt striking at it. "Hm...The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent. The card indicating the future beyond that is..." He flipped over the card on the opposite end of the table, closest to the wineglasses. It bore the symbol of the crescent moon. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents "hesitation" and "mystery"...Very interesting indeed."

"And..." Yu frowned, not exactly liking the fortune he was receiving. "What does that mean?"

"It would appear that a great misfortune awaits you, and with it, a mystery." Igor explained. "In the coming of days, you will enter a contract of some sort. After which, you will return here. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future will be forever lost. My duty is to guide on your journey, to ensure that does not happen." With a snap of his fingers, the card vanished. "Ah, where are my manners! I have not introduced my assistant to you!"

The woman bowed her head. "My name is Margaret," she said, her voice both heavenly and bearing a chilling, almost authoritative tone hidden behind the guise of elegance. "I am here to accompany you through your journey."

"It's nice to meet you." Yu nodded politely.

"We shall attend to the details another time." Igor stated. "Until then, farewell..."

Before Yu could ask anymore, his eyelids grew heavy. His vision faded to black. His vision reeled, an his body began to sway. Eventually, he lost consciousness, and welcomed sleep.

* * *

"...so, he's made his first visit." the white clad masked figure known as Philemon said within his domain. "It would seem our game has begun once again."

The figure before him laughed. "Compared to your last champion, he is nothing." the being said, bearing the exact same appearance as Yu Narukami, only with yellow eyes instead of gray. "For who can make death tremble before him?"

"True," Philemon agree. "However, he will prove to be just as equal to the challenge."

"Pft. We shall see. However, without Izanami orchestrating these coming events...The Sagiri will become even more predictable." The being scoffed. "The Goddess of Yomi sought to trap humanity in the endless fog, rather than bringing about the end. That in itself was foolish, as humans ultimately seek the end of their existence, rather than a blissful lie."

"And yet," Philemon countered. "Humans have prove, time and time again, that they will not accept death as their end. Even when the Fall of humanity was orchestrated, Makoto Yuki refused to accept death, and even wielded the power of the Arcana that was never meant to be." An amused chuckle escaped him. "And through that, humanity found a new possibility."

The being smirked. "We'll see about that, old friend..." he leaned back, hands in his pocket. "By the by, while we are speaking about your champions... what of that rogue?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Spare me the innocence, Philemon. I'm talking about the boy who's heart remains trapped in a cell, having his fate decided for him by the reality of the world he was born into."

Philemon smiled knowingly underneath his mask. "His fate is not up to me." he stated simply. "If one is to reclaim their future, they must take hold of it with their own hands. I have faith that he, like Makoto Yuki, and in the future, Yu Narukami, will achieve the strength he needs to overcome the trials set before him. After all, he is facing a society coveted by the darkness within the hearts of humanity itself."

"Che," the being rolled his eyes. "I doubt it... One cannot easily change fate."

Philemon smiled confidently beneath his mask. "And yet you failed to win any of our game thus far, Nylarathotep."

"Shut up!" The disguised being snapped angrily. "Don't get so cocky just because your candidates see only the few good aspects of the world rather than the malevolent entity it is as a whole."

"And that is why we continue to reach an impasse. After all, human potential is much like that of a wild card... it is unpredictable."

"But it's because of that spontaneity, that Death may fall upon all of them based on a whim."

"Perhaps," the masked being replied. "But that is just what makes humans so interesting."

* * *

"...waitwaitwait, stop right there." Sho held up his hand. "Could you repeat that? In English?"

"You heard me, Sho-san." Yu said with a frown. "I almost fell inside my own TV."

The fact that he said it all in a stoic expression made it even harder to believe. The red haired teen looked at him with a deadpanned expression. "...Are you sure you weren't high or something?"

"If I were, I'm pretty sure I'd be arrested, given that my uncle is a detective."

"Oh. Good point. But seriously? Almost falling into your own TV? That's impossible."

"Hey, I know what I felt and saw." Yu defended. "I felt like someone was pulling on my arm, and this was after the weird voices started."

Yosuke was also unconvinced of the silver-haired teen's claims, sharing a look with Chie and the others. "All we saw was some girl." he said. "Speaking of which, I could barely tell what she looked like. The only thing I could make out was her uniform. That's ours, right?"

"Yeah!" Chie nodded in confirmation. "Though, for me, she looked alot like Saki-senpai." She turned to Izana and Sho. "How about you guys? What did you see?"

"I actually had the same thoughts." Izana agreed with Chie. She had shoulder length brown hair, and she wore our school uniform, didn't she?"

"You actually got all that? It was still blurry as hell to me." Sho quipped.

"Hey, wait, hold on..." Yosuke frowned. "Did we all see the same girl?"

"It seems like." Yu cocked his head. "Maybe we're in some kind of love triangle with our soulmate?"

The group gave him a deadpan stare. "...you know, were it not for the fact that you look dead serious in that look, I would seriously think that you were joking." the headphones-wearing boy said in utter amazement. "Secondly, I cannot believe you just said that with a straight face."

"Guess Narukami's got a killer poker face." Sho snorted. "He'd make a killing at being a card dealer."

"I'd rather not." Yu shook his head. "I'm not one for gambling, really."

 _'A wise decision.'_ Minazuki said in approval. _'After all, many usually lose important aspects of their lives because of gambling.'_

"If your playing around, don't gamble." he continued. "And if your going to gamble, don't play around."

"...Wise words to live by." Izana nodded in approval.

"Still, you not being pulled inside a TV because it was too small does actually make it sound a bit more believable." Yosuke said with a joking grin. "If you're interested, we have an electronics department at Junes."

"Oh, speaking of that!" Chie suddenly realized. "My parents have been talking about buying a new TV to replace the old one. I just got to see my movies on the big screen!"

"In that case, why don't we all go together?" Yosuke laughed. "Could be fun!"

* * *

"...wait, so we're seriously doing this?" Yosuke sweat-dropped. "You know I was kidding, right?"

Yu, Chie, Izana, Sho, and Yosuke stood in the middle of the Electronics Department at Junes, right in front of a large flat-screen television.

"Hey, you were the one that offered."

"Besides," Chie smiled widely. "I did bring up buying a TV."

"Yeah, you did say that..." Yosuke sighed, shaking his head before looking at the TV. "With this, you could definitely fit your whole body inside, maybe even multiple people. Then again, it's so thin, you'd end up on the either side." When he realized what he was talking about, Yosuke shook his head. "What am I saying?"

Chie, curious, pressed her hand against the screen, pushing lightly against it. Her hand didn't sink into the screen, like Yu's had. "Figures." she scoffed before turning to Yosuke. "So, got any recommendations for a cheap TV?"

The boy grinned as he gestured to the model TV not too far from the one they were looking at. "Well, miss," he said, adopting a business-like tone. "Might I suggest this one here? It's the latest model, just released this spring!"

Chie gave it a look, noticing how sleek and slender it was before her jaw dropped. "What the-?!" she gawked in disbelief. "This isn't cheap at all! There's WAAAY too many zeroes!"

"I should have asked what you meant by 'cheap'." Yosuke sighed.

"Don't you have connections? C'mon, hook me up!"

"You know I can't do that." he protested. "Alright, how about this one? It's an older unit, but..."

As the two began to discuss TV price ranges, Sho and Yu examined the size of the TV in front of them. It really did look big enough for someone to fit through, easily slipping in a body with little trouble. Yu tilted his head, a thought in his head while the red-haired teen raised an eyebrow. "Yeesh, this thing is expensive." he remarked. "Freaking worth more than the one I've got back at my pad."

"No kidding," Izana said in agreement. "Moreover, who in the world would pay this much?"

"Probably guys with money to burn." he shrugged before leaning in. "Oi, Narukami... You said you put your hand through this?"

Yu nodded. "Yeah, and it was after a weird voice echoed in my head. I think it said something along the lines of, I am thou, or something." he answered. Instantly, within Sho's consciousness, Minazuki became interested. "It felt like something was off, so I touched it. Next thing I know, I have my hand inside of it, and all of a sudden, something's trying to pull me in."

The red-haired teen snickered. "Yeah, right. Like that ever-"

 _'Sho, try putting your hand in.'_ Minazuki said suddenly.

"Huh? Why?" Sho questioned in confusion. Why would Minazuki ask him that all of a sudden?

 _'Just try it out. There is a theory I wanted to confirm.'_

"Sho-san?" Yu questioned noticing that he was seemingly talking to himself. He then recalled from Izana that he apparently had another personality, so perhaps he shared a mental link? The red-haired teen ignored him, and pressed his palm against the screen.

The next second, it slipped straight into it, creating white ripples that danced along the screen. "WHOA!" Sho exclaimed, pulling his hand back. Izana and Yu stared at the sight in complete shock and awe as Sho stared at his hand, then back at the screen. He then proceeded to tap his finger on the screen, creating the white ripples, and putting his finger in, noting the feeling of water touching the skin, despite it appearing not to be wet. "Y-you...gotta be kidding..." he breathed. Just to be sure, he once again stuck his hand. Sure enough, it was inside the screen. "T-this...this for real?!"

Yu snapped out of his shock, and followed Sho's example. He put his hand against the screen, and gave it a shove, allowing his arm, reaching from his shoulder, to drop inside. "It wasn't a dream after all..." Yu realized. "But... How?"

"Who cares?! This is freaking awesome!" Sho laughed. "Hey, hey! Miokami! Check it out! I've got my freaking hand inside a TV! Hahahahahah!"

"And why are you so excited, Moron?" Izana snapped back. "This clearly isn't normal. it shouldn't even be possible!"

"Again, who the hell cares!" the boy replied, a wide grin on his face. Quite frankly, it disturbed the two. They had never seen him so...lively, before. "Hey! Hanamura, Carnivore! Check it out!"

"Huh?" Yosuke looked over at them. "What are you yelling...for..." he trailed off as his eyes ran along their arms, and found them promptly missing halfway inside the black screen. His jaw promptly fell to the ground. Chie looked over his shoulder, and her gaze promptly fell open into wide, disbelieving eyes. "Is...their arms..." Yosuke gaped. "I-in the TV?!"

"Whoa!" Chie ran up to them, completely shocked at what she was seeing. "Is this some sort of special feature?"

"Like hell it is!" Yosuke snapped.

"How in the hell are you two pulling it off!" Izana practically screamed. "Moreover, why are your hands still inside it?! Didn't Narukami-san say something about him getting pulled in?!"

Sho didn't listen to her. He was too excited to even bother to hear her out. He was actually putting his body inside of a TV screen?! Why hadn't he ever done this before?! This was so cool! _'It appears my hypothesis is correct,'_ Minazuki said. _'It would appear that those with the power of Persona are capable of entering whatever lies behind the screen of a television.'_ Sho's eyes widened at this. Only a Persona-user could do this? He looked back at Narukami, who looked to be deep in thought. _'Narukami mentioned the phrase, "I am thou." That is the same phrase spoken to me by Tsukuyomi after I was born. However, it would appear that he has yet to awaken to his power. Hm, very intruiging...'_

Sho, however, had other thoughts. Yu Narukami... was a Persona-user? Slowly, his grin became full-on feral. If what Minazuki said was true, then...!

Things were going to get a helluva lot more exciting in this backwater town.

"How in the hell are you puling this off?!" Yosuke demanded with wide eyes, utterly shocked and amazed. "Moreover, can you teach me that trick?!"

Yu didn't respond to that. "I think I can go farther in." he said. The group became further alarmed when he slipped his body further in, with one knee on the stand. The upper right side of his body, including his head and neck, were now inside the screen.

"W-whoa, what the hell are you doing?!"

"Oh my God!"

Izana became flabberghasted, seeing this. What in the hell was going on here?! Moreover, what was wrong with Yu?! How could he be so calm about all of this?! She turned to Sho, only to stare intently at the screen. "Sho?" The boy pulled himself out of the screen, and stepped away. It only took her a second to realize what he was planning, and immediately grew bewildered. "Sho, don't you do it!" The red-haired teen grinned wildly, as he placed himself into a running position. "Don't you dare-!"

"BONZAI!"

He broke out into a sprint. His destination; directly for the screen. He jumped and dived straight into the television set.

Everyone, sans Yu, who heard Sho's shout, became bewildered as his body sunk right into the screen. "YOU IDIOT!" Izana screamed comically. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"That's too much for me!" Yosuke wailed. He had begun acting strangely, doing some sort of strange dance while holding his crotch area. "This is too much for my bladder!"

"What the-?!" Chie backed away. "Are you going to pee your pants?!"

"I can't help it! I haven't had a chance to go all day!" he protested, his face contorting. "Crap! Can't...hold it...anymore!" He took off into a run, running out of the electronics department, though he quickly returned. "Shit! Customers! THEY'RE COMING!"

"Wh-what?!" Chie shrieked. "Oh crap! What are we going to do?! We got a man half stuck in a TV in here!" she gestured to Yu with his head inside the screen. "Not to mention we're missing a person now!"

Yosuke and Chie were panicking, they were running all over the place. Unfortunately, in their runnings, they had slammed into Izana, causing the three to tumble into Yu's body. As a result, in a matter of seconds, the four were sent straight into the screen, vanishing into it with white ripples dancing across the black surface. No one had even noticed that the rowdy teenagers were gone.

* * *

"Wh-whoa! What the hell is this?" Yosuke questioned as they all fell. It was strange. They were falling down a tunnel of black and white rectangular lines that seem to be turning.

"I dunno!" Chie screamed back. "Are we falling?!"

"It feels like it." Yu stated calmly as they continued to drop through the spinning rings.

"How can you be calm at a time like this?!" Yosuke shouted.

Eventually, the rings came to an end. What greeted them next was hard pavement.

"Oof!"

"Guh!"

"Ack!"

"Agh!"

The four teenagers landed harshly. But fortunately, nothing was broken.

"Ouch! I think I landed on my wallet..." Yosuke groaned.

Chie groaned, holding her head as she sat up on all fours. She looked up, and her face promptly fell into confusion. "Where the heck are we?"

Their surroundings were odd. Visibility was practically skewed and impossible, with a thick yellow fog all around them. They were barely able to make out their surroundings, but from what they could make out, it all resembled some sort of studio. The floor was checked black and red, while in the center was black and white rings, along with the outlines of what appeared to be human bodies. Up above, they also found catwalks and floodlights, further pointing to this being some sort of studio.

"Where is this place?" Chie asked. "Somewhere inside Junes?"

"Hell no it isn't!" Yosuke snapped hotly. "I mean, well fell through a freaking TV!" His fell into confusion shortly afterward, turning to Yu. "Actually... what is going on here?"

"I don't know either...Is everyone alright?" Yu asked.

"Yeah, I guess. I think my butt's cracked now." Yosuke grimaced.

"Of course it is!" the girl snapped before looking back at Izana. "How about you, Izana-chan? You okay?"

"Y-yeah." she nodded as she looked around. "But... what on earth is this place? Is it some sort of studio?"

"Seems like." Yu said in agreement. "But I can barely see with all of this fog."

The red-eyed girl frowned. "Fog? What fog?"

"Huh? What do you mean 'what fog'? It's all around us! I can't even see a few feet away from me." Chie responded.

"I...don't know what you're talking about. Everything is perfectly clear to me."

The three stared at her in shock. "How the hell can you not see it?" Yosuke asked, utterly confused now. "It's so thick I can hardly see." He then frowned. "Are you wearing some sort of contacts?"

"Yosuke, are you an idiot?" Chie deadpanned. "How can contacts help her see in a fog?" Then she realized that there was someone missing from their group, and looked around. "Wait a minute, where's Sho-kun?!"

The others looked around, but were unable to see the red haired male in this thick fog. Izana on the other hand, couldn't even find him at all. Did he wander off when he entered here before them? "Damned moron," she cursed under her breath. "Why is he pulling a stupid stunt like this?" She knew he was an idiot, but how could he have been THIS stupid?!

"We should probably start looking." Yu offered.

"Alright, but where would we look?" Yosuke asked, frowning. "I mean, how big is this place anyway? And where do we even start?"

"We can probably start over there." Izana pointed over to where she saw a walkway.

The headphones-wearing boy sighed. "Ho boy... Here's hoping this goes according to plan.

* * *

"...begone!"

All around Sho, a black aura began to twirl and spin around him before it dispersed, creating waves of black, ripping through black shapes. The fog around him seemed to be pushed back by the shockwave, but then it returned, still as thick as ever. "What an annoyance," Sho scoffed. His tone was different now, being more mellow in contrast to his brighter self, and having a cold, sharp edge, almost like a knife. This was, in truth, Minazuki. "I never thought we would encounter Shadows here." A troubled frown crossed his expression. "According to the research conducted by the Kirijo Group, they only appear during the Dark Hour, which should have disappeared, if the records are accurate."

He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the direction where he felt the most Shadows, that being what appeared to be some sort of apartment complex. "So, that begs the question... Why are they here?" Was this place some sort of nest for Shadows? Or was it because this world mimicked the effects of the Dark Hour? Or vice versa? Either way, that building looks like a prime place to investigate.

 _'Ugh, sooooo boooooooring!'_ Sho complained. _'Seriously, for a place that has Shadows, these guys are freaking chump change!'_

"Indeed." Minazuki nodded. "If I were to estimate, these shadows seem to be of the lowest caliber. The small-fry, if you will."

 _'Seriously?! Laaaaaaaame!'_

Minazuki chuckled. "Relax, Sho... We may find a suitable challenge soon enough." He then turned towards the area with the most heavy concetration of Shadows, and began walking toward it. However, he had not reached ten steps before he paused abruptly, his eyes widening. "...what in the world?"

 _'...Oi, Minazuki.'_ Sho called out. _'This feeling... Isn't this...?'_

"Yes...there is no doubt." The calmer's face turned into quiet rage, and for a moment, his eyes changed into a red color. "There is a Plume of Dusk here."

* * *

"What is this place?" Yosuke wondered as they wandered the halls of the building they entered, looking around in spite of the heavy fog. "Seriously, it's out of wack."

"So is the sky." Izana said, looking up at the sky. Unlike the blue, gray, and orange sky they were accustomed to, the sky of this mysterious place was black and red, being demented ripples that spread out like a wave. "It's rather creepy."

"Again, let's find a way out of here, and fast." Chie suggested. "It gives me the creeps!"

"Hopefully we're approaching the exit now." Yu said. as they walked.

As they proceeded further, they found a door that was left slightly ajar. "Here's hoping that this is the exit." Yosuke said as he pushed it open.

He wished he didn't.

It looked to be a scene from a horror film. Blood was splattered all over the walls. There were posters everywhere, but the faces were cut out. And in the very center of the room was a chair, and a red scarf hanging over it, almost like a noose.

"Dude...that arrangement is never a good sign..." Yosuke grimaced at the sight.

"Look at these posters..." Chie said, her face slightly pale. "All of their faces are cut out. Whoever did this must have really hated this person."

Izana nodded in agreement as she looked around the room. In spite of the morbidness of it, she didn't feel disturbed or horrified by what was in front of her. Rather, instead, she felt that the feeling of the place, the presence it gave off was natural and to be expected. She didn't think much of it, she only saw the scenery as a reflection of the cruelty one bore.

"Urgh! I can't take it anymore!" Yosuke suddenly cried, running to the corner of the room. "My bladder's gonna blow!"

The green-clad girl immediately knew what he was going to do, and her face was overcome with disgust. "Are you going here?! Seriously?!"

"I can't help it! I never had a chance to go today!" Yosuke rebutted. He then paused. "Don't look! I can't go when everyone's watching!"

The group sweat dropped, and promptly looked away. Soon afterward, they heard something splashing against the ground, followed by a relieved, relaxed sigh from Yosuke. Chie groaned in disgust while Izana shook her head. Yu merely remained stoic, but he did notice something out of the corner of his eye. It was a flash of red that moved quickly. He turned his head in its direction, curious of what it is. "...Sho? Is that you?"

Izana, Chie, and Yosuke, who had just finished relieving himself, turned to him in shock as he moved toward the door. He pushed it open, but what was in front of him was most definitely NOT Sho. It was a large object resembling a stuffed bear, bearing a bright red body with a white strip running down the middle, and three large red buttons inside. The head, meanwhile, had a white face and blue fur, accompanied by two round ears, and a pair of glassy black eyes. Odder still was the fact that a girl bearing aqua green hair and eyes, wearing a white, skintight turtleneck with four large, black buttons adorned with various icons and a musical note symbol in the center. She also wore a black miniskirt with suspenders, gloves, skintight boots, and wire headphones attached to her skirt.

"W-whoa!" Chie backpedaled. "What in the?!"

"What-what is this thing?!" Yosuke asked, utterly bewildered. "Some kind of oversized bear-looking thing?!"

The girl beside the bear frowned. Was it just Yu's imagination, or did the bear look really annoyed by Yosuke's comment? "ThAT iS a RUdE thINg tO SaY to TeDDiE-sAN." the girl spoke, her voice distorted and skewed with a metallic echo in it. "PleAsE, tAkE tHAt bAcK."

The group was taken aback by the girl's voice. How did she get it to sound like that? A voice modifier?

"Um...who are you?" Izana questioned.

"Th-that's what we wanna know!" The group backed away. The bear...was TALKING?! "Who are you guys?!"

"Whoa! The bear is talking!" Chie yelped.

"ARa?" the girl tilted her head. "Is iT oDd fOr TeDdIE-sAn tO BE sPeAkIng?"

"Uh, yeah!" Yosuke snapped. "It's seriously freaky!"

"Really?" Izana questioned, cocking her head. "Seems perfectly normal to me."

"HOW DO YOU FIGURE THAT?!" the two cried. Yu, however, was in agreement with the red-eyed girl. To him, it seemed to be normal. He bent down to eye level, and extended his hand.

"Hello," he greeted. "My name is Yu Narukami. These are my friends."

"O-oh!" the bear blinked before shaking hands with him. "My name is Teddie, and this is Miku-chan!"

Yosuke stared at Yu in shock. "...seriously man? Does anything faze you?"

"Teddie," Izana asked. "Have you seen an idiot running around here lately? Red hair, has a scar on his face? He's also got a colorful mouth to boot."

"Um..." The bears face scrunched up in thought. "I believe so. I think he was heading here. But we haven't seen him."

Izana shook her head in exasperation. "Oh, dammit, Sho!"

"Anyway, nevermind that!" Teddie said with concern. "You guys need to get the heck outta here!"

"Eh? What do you mean? Is it dangerous?" Yu tilted his head.

Jun 18Teddie nodded strongly as he looked around nervously. He then slipped his blue hand into the folds on his hip, digging for something. "Here," he said urgently as he pulled out a pair of black glasses with bright-colored strips along at the joints. "Use this, and get out of here!"

Chie frowned. "How's that gonna help?" she asked, clearly in skepticism. Yu, however, accepted them as he slipped them onto his face. His eyes widened when he saw the results. Through the lens of the glasses, the fog was nowhere to be found. "Whoa..." It was amazing. It was as if the fog vanished without a trace. And now, he was able to see the room more clearly. As it happened as he looked past the two, he found a familiar face walking up to them. "Sho!" Izana said in irritation. "Where the hell were you?! Moreover, what the hell were you thinking, jumping in like that!"

Sho smiled thinly. "You'll have to forgive him." he said, his tone oddly more calm and melodious in comparison to before. "He became quite excited upon learning about this place."

Izana's eyes widened slightly, before she regained her composure. "...oh, it's you." she realized, with the group looking at her in confusion. "So, the loudmouth isn't home?"

"Just so you know, he says, and I quote, _'I'll kick your ass for that remark later.'_ " Sho stated. "In the meantime, is everyone alright?"

"We're fine." Yu replied. He then looked around. "Although, we are still having difficulty understanding this place."

"Understandable." Sho nodded. "Although, I don't believe we should linger here for long."

"Agreed." Izana nodded. Just as they were about to move away, Yosuke stopped them.

"Whoa, hold on a sec." he said as he looked at Sho. "Sho-kun, are you feeling alright?"

"Ah, that's right." Izana remembered. "You've never met him before, have you." She jabbed a thumb at him. "This is Minazuki, Sho's significant other."

"Significant other...? You mean his split personality?" Chie questioned.

A sigh escaped the red-head. "Why does everyone keep calling it that?" he questioned before he turned to Teddie and Miku. "And as for the two of you..." he narrowed his eyes. "You obviously aren't human, bear. What are you?"

"How rude!" Teddie growled as he stomped his stubby foot on the ground in rage. "I am an adorable, fluffy bear! And for the record, my name is Teddie, thank you!"

"Heh, figures..." He then looked over at the girl. "And you are?"

"MY nAmE iS Miku."

Minazuki's eyes narrowed at her, almost dangerously so.

 _'This girl...she's the one in possession of the Plume of Dusk.'_

As the boy glared at her, Yu suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His head began to throb.

"Grgh!" He pressed a palm to his forehead in an attempt to dull the pain.

"Yu? What's wrong?" Yosuke asked. It was only then that Teddie begun to panic.

"Th-this is bad! This is beary bad!"

"Huh?" Chie frowned. "What do you..." she trailed off as she looked past the bear, and found something...moving...in the shadows, a form obscured by the fog. "W-wait, what's that?!"

Miku turned to face the obscured figure. Suddenly, her eyes flashed brightly.

"...sHaDoWs DeTeCtED."

"Huh?" The others looked at Miku, who had a shift in demeanor. Even Teddie was surprised. But Minazuki looked on with interest. That manner of speaking, the Plume of Dusk, that form of behavior...there was no mistaking it. Slolwy, the black figure made itselves present to the group. To Yu, who could see it clearly, it was monstrous. It was a giant purple and black ball with a large mouth, and an oversized black tongue hanging out.

"W-what the hell?!"

"Shadows..." Minazuki glared at them.

"HalBeRiE tYPe SHadoW deTeCTed." Miku declared.

The teen scowled, seeing more of these Halberie's approaching from the other corridors and entrances. "I can't fight properly in a cramped space like this..." he muttered before turning to the group. "Everyone out, now!" He turned his attention back to the shadows, which let out a creepy sound, almost like a cross between a laugh and a roar, and charged at them. In response, his eyes turned red. A blue light danced around him, and a tarot card wreathed in flames danced in his palms. "Come... Tsukiyomi!"

He folded his hand, and the card broke apart like glass.

The blue flames that danced in his hands swallowed his entire body in a blazing pillar. But oddly, the flames did not harm him. Rather, they manifested into a new being that stood behind him.

Behind Minazuki was a figure clad in a black cape with red highlights, bearing a black-and-white striped body underneath the cape, and it's face hidden by a golden mask, piercing red eyes glaring out from it. From atop it's head, black vapor poured out, while the mist solidified in his hand, forming into a blade.

This was the Persona known as Tsukiyomi, the Shinto God of the Moon, and brother to the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, and the Tempest God Susano-O.

Jun 18"Whoa..." Chie breathed in amazement. "What...that is that?!"

"Remove yourself from my sight!" Minazuki snarled. Tsukiyomi's eyes flashed, and reared back it's arm. "MARAGI!" The black being swung it's blade. From it came a dancing arcs of flame, burning right through the ball-like beings, and blowing most of them away. Some were damaged, evident by the black muck on their bodies. "Let's go!"

"R-right!" Yu nodded, and quickly followed after him. They ran past the Shadows, with Teddie hanging close to them while Miku was easily keeping up with Minazuki. They descended down the stairs, with Yu and Minazuki forgoing them and leaping down the stairwell to the floor before quickly making their exit. They left the building, but they had sadly underestimated the Shadows, as they bursted through the windows, and came rushing out from every possible entrance into the complex.

"Oh..." Yosuke paled, seeing swarms of giant balls with mouths dashing through the air, forming into sickening grins. "Oh shit... We are screwed!"

Minazuki merely grinned. "With this much space, I don't have to worry anymore..." he said as he spread his arms out. Tsukiyomi followed this example by raising it's free hand. "Very well, then. Let us begin. I wills how you insects the meaning of despair!"

The shadows merely screeched in defiance as they flew in and swarmed the group. The red haired teen maintained a wide grin on his face as they approached. While Yu felt the hammering between his temples increase dramatically.

 _ **"Thou art I...and I am thou..."**_

The Halberie's charged at Minazuki, but Tsukiyomi intercepted them. Darkness erupted from beneath their bodies, and engulfed them, as if devouring them. When the dark miasma dispersed, the shadows dissolved into black wisps.

"Whoa..." Yosuke breathed. "He took 'em out... in one go?!"

Izana narrowed her eyes. "Don't celebrate yet, Hanamura." she told him. "There are still more of them coming!"

True to her words, what Minazuki destroyed was only a small dozen Shadows, which hardly did a dent on the massive number of Halberies. The red-haired teen didn't look the least bit fazed, as Tsukiyomi remained steadfast. Miku, however, stared at the creatures with a familiar sense running through her. These creatures known as Shadows...were hostile. Malevolent. They were targeting them for whatever reason their thought process deemed just, but she regarded them with a sense of hostility of her own. "ReMOVinG lEVeL 2 lIMIteRs." she said as her eyes glowed. Like Sho, a brilliant blue light danced around her, creating a small dancing whirlwind around her body, causing her skirt to flap. "InITiaTe pErSOnA sUMmoNING."

Her eyes continued to glow brightly, and echoing in the air was the sound of shattering glass.

"ECHO!"

The light created a shockwave, followed by a high-pitched whistling sound. Dancing all around Miku were transparent, yet blue glass shards, which began to piece themselves together into a physical form. Behind the turquoise-haired girl was a being resembling a mechanical doll. It possessed silver joints and mechanical arms and legs, possessing a feminine torso, it's skin colored a shining silver. It's face was different, colored white with a black frame. It's eyes were light green, and it's mouth set into a serene smile. Behind her shoulders were white protrusions, and flowing out of them were brilliant, bluish-white wings. At her hips were a flowing, brilliant light red skirt, and spinning underneath her hands were silver rings.

This was the Persona of the 6th-Generation Anti-Shadow Weapon Miku, Echo, the nymph of songs.

"StriKE nOw! Magaru!" Miku commanded. The winged persona obeyed her mistress' command and flew forward, her hand outstretched. A gust of wind swirled in her palm before spiraling outward to swallow the flying shadows.

It cut them down, ripping them apart within their torrent of winds. Tsukiyomi followed up by running straight forward, swinging it's misty blade, slicing through several Shadows in a single stroke. Echo then threw the rings spinning at her hands, flicking her fingers as if to control the movements, and slicing through several of the enemies before it. The group was left amazed, watching the spiritual entities strike against the Shadows. Chie and Yosuke were left stunned and awed into silence as they watched their friend call forth some sort of god-like figure to destroy the monsters, whereas Teddie was left utterly speechless, staring at Miku with large, starry-eyed eyes. Izana simply watched the battle unfold with a careful, watching the slowly dwindling number of Shadows.

Yu, however, was still cradling his head in his hand. The hammering was growing worse.

"I am thou..." the voice from before whispered. "Thou art I..."

 **[Persona 4 OST - Awakening]**

"Maragi!"

"Sukukaja!"

The Moon God let loose another streak of flames, whereas Echo let out a melodious hum, and green light began to flow around Miku. She braced her body, lowered herself as if ready to take off in a run, cracks forming beneath the ground underneath her feet, and then suddenly, without warning, launched forward, throwing herself at a Shadow. Her body spun around wildly, with her leg prepped for an attack. The Shadows closest to her tried to bite at her, but Miku simply gave a cheery smile, and rammed her leg into them, spinning around as she did so, and struck them back at it's comrades. Those struck by the flying Shadows were destroyed in an instant, as were the Shadows she had kicked.

 ** _"The time has come..."_**

Unfortunately, unknown to the two fighters, a few Shadows had snuck up behind those without any means to defend themselves. Chie, who had been so absorbed in the fight, noticed a heavy breathing down her neck. Her body shuddered, feeling something warm and slimy flow down her neck. She turned around, and promptly fell back when a warm, hot, and wet tongue smacked at her, throwing her aside. "Oh shit, Chie!" Yosuke cried. This caught the attention of Miku and Minazuki, who turned aruond, and left them open. Two Shadows struck at Tsukiyomi, biting into it's arms, and causing him to cry out in pain. Another had rammed itself into Echo, and threw her into the ground. Miku cringed in pain, and was thrown back when a Halberie whacked it's tongue at her, and sent her to the ground. Yosuke went to move to save Chie, but Izana quickly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms at his waist, and threw them both to the ground, avoiding a Shadow biting away at them.

 ** _"Open thine eyes..."_**

"C-crap..." Yosuke whimpered as the Shadows began to encircle them, leaving them no chance of escape. Teddie cowered in fear, standing behind Yosuke and Izana, the latter glaring in defiance at them, her red eyes set into a heavy glare. "We're finished...!"

 ** _"And call forth what lies within!"_**

Suddenly, as the Shadows advanced, they halted. This caused the group to grow confused, but then they noticed something. Suddenly, all of their attention was derive at a single individual. Izana turned, and found Yu holding his head in pain. Suddenly, it had ceased, and a sense of strange euphoria and clarity ran through him. He grew confused when he saw a card held in his hand. Izana saw this as well, and frowned. "What is that?" she wondered. She was unsure why, but she felt a strange sense of familiarity, and...warmth...when she saw that card. It was apparently on it's backside, as it showed a face, half black and half white. Yu flipped it around, only to find a blank side to it.

However, as soon as it was now face-up in his hand, a white light flowed from it. Minazuki and Miku looked over their shoulders, finding that all the Shadows in the area were suddenly staring at Yu. The red-haired teen noticed that some of them were even shaking. "So..." he said, smiling in anticipation for the power that would soon manifest. "He's finally awakened."

As Yu stared into the card, he found some sort of...emotion, running through him. Power was beginning to rush through his veins, rising up quickly to the surface like raging waters banging against the dam. A smile began to form across his lips, and a gust of wind began to dance all around him. A word began to play in his ears, almost like a buzzing sound, but it was slowly becoming more clear to him.

And the words began to fall from his lips.

"Per..."

 _ba-dump_

"...so..."

 _ba-dump_

"...na."

 ** _BOOM_**

Suddenly, the card was encroached in a brilliant, azure blue flame. From within the light, a black silhouette could be found. Yu brought his hand up, and swiftly crushed the card in his hand. The flames began to seep through his fingers. He could feel his heart thumping wildly against his chest, beating like a drum, and the gathering power building up, finally being released. The dam broke, and the flames began to surround him. He reared his head back and screamed as the flames exploded.

Unlike Miku's and Minazuki's, which were impressive, this brilliant blue light was exposed in grand fashion. A massive shockwave plowed right through them, a gust of wind blowing across their faces. Izana struggled to stay on her feet, as had Yosuke as he held unto the unconscious Chie. Teddie was clinging to the green-clad girl's waist. Minazuki and Miku shielded themselves with their arms, remaining where they were. Some of the Shadows were blown away by the massive burst of power, breaking apart into black mist. Then, a brilliant silver flash cut through the gigantic blue flames, and suddenly, several hundred Halberie's were sliced straight in half. This caught the group by surprise, especially as one last shockwave followed, dispersing the flames immediately.

"What in the hell...?!" Minazuki said as the wind died down. "This Persona summoning... It's far different from mine and that Shadow Weapon!" He turned his attention to Yu, and his eyes promptly widened to the size of dinner plates.

There, bearing a confident, almost proud smirk, was Yu Narukami...and behind him, his Persona. It was a tall being, as stall as Tsukuyomi. It was clad in a black trench coat with gray lining and latches, the inside of the coat being red. Underneath the coat was a dark gray body and silver groin cup with a black stripe down the center. Its was face hidden by a silver mask with a white headband wrapped around the forehead. Eerie yellow eyes bore through the holes of the mask. Its hands were black with sharp, silver fingertips. In its hand was quite an unusual weapon. It looked to be an oversized combat knife with the handle being as long as a spear shaft, with a white cloth was wrapped it.

This was the Persona of Yu Narukami, the manifestation of his will and strength, his heart given physical form. The representation of his determination to face the hardships of life. A Persona born of the Fool Arcana. A God of Shinto Mythology.

A being who's name was uttered by the awestruck Izana Miokami.

"Iza...nagi..."

* * *

 **-Episode 3: END-**

Preview!

"Actually, I'm the one who thinks everything's a pain in the ass!"

"You may think of your Persona ability as a facade of determination you wear, to endure the hardships in life."

"Narukami... He's... He's strong... Really strong... Hehehehehe...!"

"P-please, Narukami-kun... Just call me Izana... P-please?"

"I'll crush everything that bores me! Staring with YOU!"

"S-stop it... STOP IIIIIIT!"

Next Scent! The Magician's Resentment


End file.
